


A Latte Love

by SesuRescue (Kigachan)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Background Alphyne - Freeform, Dry Humping, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, First Meetings, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, The coffeeshop au of my dreams, underswap Grillby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 07:18:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 72,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12677064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kigachan/pseuds/SesuRescue
Summary: For Grillby, his first encounter with the barista skeleton left a lot to be desired, but for some reason he can't help but feel drawn to him?





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, all I've wanted my entire life is a cute ass papby romantic coffeshop AU, so I'm making my dreams come true!

Grillby yawned as he walked down the familiar path to his favorite coffee shop, aching for the sweet feel of caffeine running through his body. It had been what, maybe a few months since he needed coffee to function? He deserved to treat himself, and even if he didn't, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get through studying for midterms without it.

It had been surprisingly difficult for Grillby to find a place that was able to accommodate his dietary needs. Due to being a fire elemental and composed of fire and magic, he couldn't drink most water-based beverages, including coffee. He never thought that he would ever need to worry about it, but after his first experience of midterms last year Grillby found he definitely needed something, anything to keep himself awake to study.

Grillby had tried all sorts of different things to stay energized: chocolate, alcohol, wood chips, but nothing worked. Lighter fluid seemed to only get him drunk—which he filed away as ‘good information to remember’—and the only thing that came close to the results he wanted was gasoline, but it tended to make him twitchy and wired. It definitely kept him awake, but he couldn't focus to save his life.

Just when he thought that he would be doomed to suffer, Grillby had met another fire elemental that knew exactly how to help. Apparently the monster, who introduced himself as Swirlby —and accented it with a slap on the butt, much to Grillby’s horror—had made a homemade espresso machine that he calibrated to work with alcohol instead of water. He convinced the manager at the coffee shop he worked at to implement it there, but since fire elementals were few and far between he never had a chance to actually use it. Latching onto the opportunity to finally test it out, Swirlby took Grillby to his workplace and well, the rest was history.

Grillby quickened his pace as the small building came into view. Large trees blocked a fair portion of the building, keeping it hidden from the path. It was one of many coffee shops around campus so it was never as busy as some of the more popular ones, but a few students considered it a favorite due to its relaxed charm and quirky staff.

Swirlby was definitely a fan favorite; friendly, handsome, and flirty with every customer. If a customer came in that was having a bad day, Swirlby would make it his duty to cheer them up with well-placed pickup lines and nonsensical chatter. On the other hand, his counterpart Reddi, a red bird monster, was more subdued and didn't have the same outgoing atmosphere Swirlby did. However, their secret was that they had a mastery of different monster languages under their belt, making them popular with customers who either didn't have a good handle on the common dialect or those who wanted someone to converse with in their native language.

The bell chimed as he opened the door to the shop, and the rich smell of fresh pastries was the first thing to hit him. Taking a deep breath, Grillby let himself relax as he stood in line to wait for his turn to order. He took a look around, wondering if the place had changed any since he had last been there.

The store had about a dozen or so small tables scattered about in a loose grid-like pattern, lining the windows and the middle of the floor, and near the far wall sat a small fireplace, surrounded by a few plush chairs and a couch. The fireplace wasn’t lit yet, but once the weather got colder Grillby knew it would be a hot spot for customers to congregate. Luckily, he would be able to last until deep winter before he too would need to seek out the fiery warmth. He still was slightly sore that he couldn't actually sit  _in_  the fireplace, but he figured Swirlby might've had a point when he lectured him on trying it last winter.

Speaking of Swirlby, Grillby couldn't hear the other's natural, crackling laugh from the front. Was he taking a break? Grillby tried to scope out the situation by standing on his tiptoes to see over the crowd, but a large bear monster blocked his way. How was it that he was taller than a majority of the monsters here, yet he still couldn't see? Oh well, maybe it was just that Reddi was handling the register today and Swirlby was too busy to talk. It was unusually crowded for the café today; where did all these people come from, and why was it so loud?

Forcing down the small pricks of anxiety threatening to surface, Grillby preoccupied himself by pulling out his phone. He browsed through posts in MonBook, chuckling slightly at a picture of his friend Heats playing Ultimate Frisbee. The photo depicted the flame elemental jumping mid-air to catch the frisbee, which was a feat in itself considering Heats was about as big as the object itself.

Grillby continued to browse social media as he slowly moved forward, not even noticing that he had already reached the counter.

“HELLO! HOW CAN I HELP YOU?” A voice boomed in front of him, causing Grillby to let out a shriek. His phone fell from his hands, clattering against the tiled floor as he took in the monster in front of him. They were a skeleton monster, probably the first one Grillby had ever seen. He wasn't sure what was more alarming, the fact that he could see the individual bones making up the other's arm creeping out from under the skeleton’s sweater, or that the monster was looking at him expectantly.  _What did they want??_

“HELLO?” The monster waved a skeletal hand in front of Grillby’s face, making his flames shrink back against his body in shock.

“...Y-yes?” Grillby squeaked out.

“HOW CAN I HELP YOU?” Grillby’s eyes widened in realization as he remembered. He was in line to get coffee, that's right.

“...Coffee?” Wow, could you be more descriptive, Grillby? The skeleton seemed to echo that thought as they tilted their head in confusion.

“I'M SORRY? CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC? WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES OF COFFEE HERE. WOULD YOU LIKE AN AMERICANO? PERHAPS A MACCHIATO OR A LATTE?”

“...Uhhh…”

This was new. Usually, Grillby didn't have to actually vocalize his order. As soon as he came in the door, one of the baristas would instantly begin to fire up his drink. How in the world could he try and explain to this new barista the specifics of his coffee when he didn't even know it?

“IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME GETTING COFFEE, CAN I SUGGEST TO YOU A NICE PUMPKIN SPICED CAPPUCCINO? IT'S IN SEASON RIGHT NOW AND IT SEEMS TO BE THE BEVERAGE OF CHOICE FOR MANY CUSTOMERS. I CAN'T VOUCH FOR IT MYSELF SINCE-” The skeleton gestured to his torso- “THE DRINKS GO RIGHT THROUGH ME! NYEH HEH HEH!”

Grillby knew the joke was funny and deserved at least a pity laugh, but all he felt like doing was crying. On the best of days Grillby had a good threshold for interacting with new individuals, but between the new cashier completely blindsiding him and the huge, extroverted presence they were emanating, he quickly found his anxiety spiking higher than he would like. He wrung his hands together as he tried to think of a proper response.

“...I-um, well I can't drink normal liquids. There is a barista that knows how to handle it, is Swirlby around?”

The skeleton monster rubbed their chin in thought. “SWIRLBY? I CAN'T SAY THAT I KNOW THE NAME.”

Grillby’s shoulders dropped as his head processed this new information. Swirlby was gone? Not only was his source of caffeine gone, he also lost one of the monsters he was friendly with. He didn't even get a chance to take down Swirlby’s contact info!

“UHM…” The skeleton monster began, fiddling with the strings of their apron, which were tied in front of them in an attempt to make it fit around their thin figure. “WOULD YOU STILL LIKE TO ORDER?”

“What’s going on?”

Grillby perked up at the familiar tenor voice, his body just about slumping against the counter in relief. A red bird walked over to stand beside the skeleton, chirping happily. “Grillby! It's been a while!”

“[Reddi, oh my god I'm so relieved to see you. Please help me],” Grillby pleaded, slipping into his native tongue.

The skeleton looked at the two of them confused. “I'M SORRY, I DON'T SPEAK...WHATEVER THAT WAS.”

Reddi nodded their head towards Grillby. “Grillby, Papyrus; he’s a new hire. Papyrus, Grillby, or Grillbz. He said he wants caffeine injected right into his body.”

Grillby covered his mouth with his hand, body shaking from nerves and barely contained laughter. He might as well have said that, with how he was feeling right now.

Despite Reddi lacing the entire sentence in sarcasm, it still flew right over Papyrus’ head. “THAT DOESN’T SOUND HEALTHY.”

“I was joking. Also, volume.”

“OH-I mean, Oh, right. Sorry.” Papyrus apologized.

Reddi waved him off nonchalantly, muttering as they occupied themselves with opening cabinets under the counter. “Swirlby mentioned the espresso machine. Said he left it for you. But where… ”

“It's not this one?” Papyrus asked, looking at the machinery that sat on the counter.

Reddi let out a shout, dragging out an object and placing it on the counter. Papyrus took a step towards it, rubbing his chin in thought as he stared at the machine. Grillby recognized the espresso machine Swirlby made because he had seen it before, but he knew it was difficult to tell from a first glance. In order to withstand the temperatures of boiling alcohol -and occasionally hot lava for when Swirlby was feeling particularly saucy- the exterior of the machine was made from solid rock, some sort of metamorphic one that Grillby couldn’t place. Swirlby told him at some point probably, but he wasn't as interested in rocks as the other.

“This is it,” Reddi said. “Let me show you how it works. Grillby, go sit. Papyrus will bring your drink.”

“...Wait, Reddi. Can I have it to go?”

Reddi narrowed their eyes at Grillby, trying to read his face. Apparently, they found what they were looking for, because after a moment they returned to normal, waving him off. “Oh, sure. Just wait somewhere. Not here. Over there, maybe.”

Grillby moved to the side of the counter, taking a moment to pick up his phone from the ground and pocketing it. He was really thankful for the bird monster; they could always sense when he was riddled with anxiety, no matter how well he tried to hide it. Maybe it was a bird thing? In either case, he knew that he couldn’t stay here today. That skeleton was too much for him to handle: too loud, too brash. And after Grillby’s failed attempts to converse with him earlier? He just wanted to go home and get into bed.

After a few minutes, Papyrus set a cup down on the counter, vibrating slightly. He gave Grillby a cheesy thumbs up as he grinned, his permanent smile seemingly growing a fraction larger. “I’m sorry about all the confusion, but I hope you enjoy your caffeinated drink! I’ll make sure to learn how this machine works so I can make your drink perfectly next time!”

Grillby smiled, opening his mouth slightly to make the gesture more obvious for Papyrus. “...Thank you.” Heading for the door, he took a second to adjust his scarf around his neck before leaving.

So, there was a new barista at the cafe. Now that Grillby thought about it, Papyrus the skeleton was pretty nice. Too bad Grillby can never show his face in that place ever again.

Grillby took a sip from the cup, savoring the taste of what was probably his last coffee forever.


	2. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby just can't seem to stay away from the shop for too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This college's class schedule is based off my own Alma Mater :) Instead of having 2 semesters, there are 4 7-week quarters. So instead of focusing on 6 classes at the same time for 14 weeks, we focused on 3 classes every 7 weeks. So the time between midterms and finals feels really short!

Grillby paced the length of his dorm room, trying to psych himself up to go back to the cafe. As terrible as it was to admit it, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to get through the rest of this quarter without coffee to get through his studies. However, he really didn’t want to deal with that barista again. Papyrus, was it? The skeleton was nice enough, but something about him just set Grillby’s nerves on edge. When he left last time, he told himself it wasn’t worth sending himself into a panic attack just for some coffee, but now here he was, getting ready to go back.

To his credit, he actually lasted a few weeks without needing it, which was amazing in its own right. He worked hard to study with and cram all the material he needed without the extra caffeine kick, and honestly, he did pretty well. Not nearly as amazing as his usual near-perfect marks, but decent enough to still pass with a high grade, assuming he did well on his finals.

At first, he wasn't worried about studying for them. He had gathered his textbooks on his bed, fired up his laptop and started to rewatch some of the lectures on the material he was unsure about. It was going well, or so he thought. However, after waking up sprawled across his notes three hours later, he finally admitted defeat. The coffee gods had him in their clutches, and he was trapped.

Grillby walked over to his bed, straightening up his notebook and slipping it into his backpack along with the rest of his stuff. He quickly checked the weather on his phone as he picked up the bag, giving his bed one last forlorn look over his shoulder. _I’ll be back for you soon._

He made his way towards the coffee shop, taking in the view around him to distract himself from his destination. The leaves were starting to change their colors with autumn in full swing, going from forest greens to vivid oranges and reds around him. It reminded him of a simpler time when he was younger. He would spend the day raking up leaves with his sister, and then after they were all bunched up, the two of them would jump into the piles and ignite them. Grillby wondered if other non-fire monsters jumped into leaf piles, but he didn't have any close friends who weren't elementals to ask. Maybe he could convince Heats to make a pile with him during their break? He quickly dismissed the thought; the university probably wouldn't like it if students went around starting random fires on campus.

Before long, the cafe came into view. Fallen leaves covered the sidewalk, and it looked almost like a picture in a catalog or a postcard. Grillby would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so focused on keeping his breathing steady. _You can do this Grillby, it was just one really awkward encounter. You can do this! And who knows, maybe he won’t be there today._

Taking a deep breath, Grillby entered the cafe, finding it surprisingly bare, considering finals looming close. He would have thought that maybe more people would come here to study, but then again if it was quiet that meant he wouldn't have to filter through conversations around him in order to focus. He took a look around, noting with despair that not only was the tall skeleton manning the cash register, he was also the only barista working today. Couldn’t Grillby get a break? Without Reddi, he really wasn't sure how he was going to save this upcoming mess of an encounter.

Gripping his bookbag a bit tighter, Grillby walked up to the counter. Papyrus perked up as the elemental approached, flashing him a huge grin. “Hello, you’re back! Grillby, right?”

Grillby blinked. He didn’t expect the other to remember his name, especially since they had only met once. “...Yes. And you’re Papyrus?”

“Correct!” Papyrus praised. “So, would you like the same drink you had last time?”

“...You remember it?”

Papyrus puffed out his chest as he put his hands on his hips in a superhero-like pose. “Of course I remember it! The Great Papyrus remembers every drink and every customer that has come in!”

Grillby stared at him, trying to figure out if he was trying to play some prank or something. There was no way he could remember all that. “...Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“...Okay, then. Last time I came in, there was a mouse in a scarf in front of me that ordered a drink; what did they order?” Grillby smiled; there was no mouse monster there that day. There was no way the skeleton could guess-

“Do you mean the bear monster?” Papyrus asked, punching in Grillby’s order into the machine. “They ordered a triple shot espresso. It was really amazing actually; I’ve never had anyone ask for a triple shot before! A mouse monster did come in last week, but they ordered a mocha latte with whipped cream and almond milk. Did that answer your question?”

What. The. Hell? “...Wow, that was amazing.” Papyrus visibly brightened from the praise, eyes twinkling in happiness.

Grillby pulled out his wallet and handed his card over to the skeleton to scan. They went through the motions of the transaction, and Papyrus turned the screen around for Grillby to sign. He pushed it back when he was done, replacing his card back in his pocket.

“Okay, I’ll get started on your drink right away!”

Grillby nodded, moving to the side of the counter and pulling out his phone. He opened his messaging app and typed out a message to Heats, asking him about his plans over break. Maybe they could hang out, and he could finally take him back to the rock climbing area beside the gym. He still wasn’t sure if Heats was the type to like rocks or not, but it was worth giving it a try again.

A small cough interrupted him in the middle of typing, and he looked up to see Papyrus trying to casually lean against the wall. Somehow it wasn’t quite working; he was too stiff. Actually, he wasn’t even leaning against anything; there was a small gap between the back of his sweater and the wall. Grillby tilted his head, flames curling in confusion. “...Yes?”

Papyrus jumped as if he wasn’t expecting Grillby to respond. “OH! Sorry I just, I’m waiting for the machine to heat up.”

Grillby let out a small sound of understanding before going back to his phone. He finished typing up the message to Heats and sent it out, wondering how long it would take for the other to see it.

The small elemental tended to leave his phone in odd places, so he didn’t expect to get any sort of answer for at least a few days. He tried to think about what to do next while he waited, but he couldn't help but get distracted by the feel of Papyrus’ eye lights on him. He put his phone away, rolling his shoulders before turning to Papyrus. As he expected, the skeleton was staring at him out of the corner of his eye socket, and something about the look told Grillby that Papyrus wanted to engage in small talk. Ugh, fine.

“...What’s up?” Grillby asked, making the first move.

Papyrus turned to him fully. “You know, just working myself down to the bone! Nyeh heh!” He laughed, but the emotion didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. Did Papyrus actually like puns, or was he just using them for Grillby’s benefit? In either case, Grillby chuckled along with him to be polite. “So, what about you? What’s up, Grillbz?”

Grillby frowned. “...Please don’t call me that.”

“But Reddi calls you that?”

“...I’ve been trying to get them to stop for ages. I’ve just accepted it now.”

Papyrus nodded.  “Understood! I will not call you ‘Grillbz’ or any variation of your name that isn’t Grillby!”

“...Thanks,” Grillby said, scratching his chin. “...Oh, I didn’t answer your other question. I’m just getting coffee to stay awake while studying.”

“Studying! Yes, working hard in an attempt to secure good grades, I like it! What are you majoring in?”

“...Material Science.”

“Wowie, that’s so cool!” Papyrus exclaimed.

The espresso machine began to beep, signaling that it was warmed up and ready. Papyrus rushed over, preoccupying himself with getting the coffee beans ready to brew. Grillby watched as Papyrus picked up a hand grinder and poured in beans, swiftly turning the handle to ground them. “Sorry about that!” Papyrus called over his shoulder. “So, Material Science? That’s amazing!”

Grillby blushed, unused to hearing such praise. “...It’s nothing special, just something I wanted to do. How about you?”

“I’m studying Mechanical Engineering!”

“...Wow, that’s neat.”

“Mhm!” Papyrus poured the now powder-like beans into a small handheld filter, using a finger to smooth them out. Transferring the filter to the machine, he grabbed two small glasses and placed them under the machine before turning it on.

Grillby watched on, mulling over the conversation. From what he could tell of Mechanical Engineers majors, they generally didn’t have time to do many extracurricular activities. He supposed that some may take on desk jobs that let them focus on studying and doing homework while they worked, but not a high-demanding job such as this. Usually, he wouldn’t dare ask someone he’s barely met about it, but something about the skeleton made him a little more curious and willing to engage him more. “...So, why work at a coffee shop? It must be hard trying to juggle your studies and your job, right?”

“The Great Papyrus is capable of juggling multiple things, so it’s quite easy for me to manage!” Papyrus picked up the now-full glasses and poured them into a mug. “To be honest, I get tired of looking at formulas all day, so I took this job to mix it up, as they say. It also gives me a chance to practice my art!”

Grillby perked up. “...Art?”

“Correct! I like to practice my art skills on lattes!”

Papyrus walked back over to Grillby, mug in hand. He placed the drink on the counter in front of the elemental, smiling brightly. “There you go! One caffeinated drink for you. I wasn’t able to make any cool art on it though, I apologize.”

“...It’s alright,” Grillby said, lifting the coffee to his mouth to taste. He took a sip, face morphing into disgust as he forced himself to swallow down the mouthful. That was...not what his usual tasted like. This was way too weak, and it left a bad aftertaste in the back of his throat. He hoped that Papyrus hadn’t seen his reaction, but the other sighed, bending down to lean against the counter.

“I messed it up, right?”

“...it’s just a little too weak?” Grillby offered, not wanting to hurt the skeleton’s feelings. To his relief, Papyrus smiled up at him, letting out a small huff of amusement.

“I should probably get your regular right first before worrying about spicing it up with my impeccable art, but no worries! I excel at many things, and I will make sure to add your drink to my ever-expanding list!”  

Grillby couldn’t help but return the smile as he nodded and took his drink over to his usual seat. He glanced over at the counter as he pulled out his books, watching Papyrus chat with another customer. The skeleton was gesturing his arms wildly as he conversed, probably talking about some light-hearted topic like the weather. Tittering quietly to himself, Grillby opened up his textbook, casting one last look at Papyrus before throwing himself into his studies.


	3. Enter Sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby goes grocery shopping and runs into a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More University info! Fall and Spring break last typically around 10 days and start on Thursday or Friday, so it usually tends to be a weekend and then a full week, with classes starting again on the next Monday or Tuesday.

Grillby sighed, flopping down on his bed. It was the day after his last final, and at this point, all of his grades had been posted. He managed to pass in all of his classes and attributed it entirely to the fact that he managed to pull himself back to the coffee shop. He knew that without having the extra kick to carry himself through all those hours studying, he probably would’ve spent all of his time instead napping in his bed. When he wasn't in class, sleeping, or eating, Grillby was at the cafe with his nose buried in his textbook and furiously writing down notes on index cards. During that time, he found that he quite enjoyed Papyrus’ presence around the shop.

Unlike the other baristas, Papyrus just seemed to ooze positive energy, helping to keep everyone around him less stressed and more willing to focus on their work. Since Grillby hung around so often he, learned very quickly on how to get comfortable with Papyrus, and Papyrus finally figured out how to work around Grillby’s social anxiety. Their conversations moved from Papyrus actively trying to engage Grillby to instead letting him listen as he talked about random topics of the day. Sometimes it was the weather, sometimes it was about classes, and other times he would talk about the college sports news that he heard around the campus. The news was never any good, but Grillby liked to listen to it regardless.

Sighing, Grillby rolled over and turned on his laptop. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a few centuries after the past few days, but there were a couple of things he had to take care of first. The laptop keys clacked softly under his fingertips as Grillby navigated to the student portal site. He clicked on the link to get to his transcript, taking a screenshot of it and attaching it to an email to his mom and dad. Firing the information off to his parents was nerve-racking, but he didn't have anything to worry about this time. His grades were good as usual, he made sure of it; there was nothing they could say. Nothing at all.

Grillby let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he closed his laptop. The rise and fall of his chest went faster than usual as he fought briefly to keep his growing panic under check. This always happened when he sent off his grades. He would think that there would be a way to deal with it by now, but all he could do was probably not open his laptop again for a while. Or look at it. Maybe he should leave his apartment for a bit actually, and do…something. But what? Grillby looked over at the clock above his stove, noting the time. It was still pretty early in the day, he could go grocery shopping since he was staying in his dorm over break anyway.

Praising himself internally for thinking of such a great idea, Grillby hopped out of bed and walked over to his sink, resisting the urge to hop over the kitchen island. His intrusive thoughts told him that it would be a great idea, but he knew better by now. He opened the cabinet under the sink and rummaged around through cleaning supplies until he found his reusable shopping bag. Arming himself with it, Grillby paused at the fridge, taking a moment to open it and jot down what he needed on the memo pad he kept on the front. When he finished, he tore off the paper and stuffed it and the pen he used into his pants pocket for safekeeping. Slipping on his shoes at the door, Grillby checked the weather on his phone to see what he needed to wear. It was a little windy and partly cloudy outside; he didn’t need anything other than his normal outerwear for that. After grabbing his black peacoat and a grey scarf, he left his dorm.

As Grillby headed to the nearest grocery store—thankfully only a few blocks away—he mentally went through the list of items he usually got at the store. According to his brief inventory check earlier, he needed all of his regular food items, plus some extra snacks since he was expecting a visit from Heats during the second half of break.

Grillby walked through the sliding doors of the store, ignoring the chime of the bell above him as he entered. He bent down to pick up a small shopping basket, deciding to head to the snack aisle first. Once he reached the expansive aisle, he realized he was caught in a dilemma; what did Heats like to eat again? Grillby placed a hand on his chin as he closed his eyes in thought. If he recalled correctly, Heats liked spicy things but he also had a strange affinity for weird-tasting foods, or at least what Grillby would consider weird. Maybe he could search the aisle for something he himself wouldn’t eat, and by that process of elimination, Heats would probably like it? Bending low to the ground, Grillby scanned the different snack foods for something disgusting. Plain chips? pass. Cheese puffs? No, he liked those, pass. Jalapeno chips? Well, they both liked those, so in a pinch, he could get that.

Grillby sighed, continuing down the aisle when he came across something peculiar. Wedged in between the pretzel sticks and a new flavor of ketchup chips was a small skeleton snoozing. They were buried in a large blue hoodie with the hood partially covering their face and they wore black basketball shorts. Instead of regular outside footwear, the monster had pink bunny slippers on their feet, making the scene even more bizarre.

Crouching and balancing on the balls of his feet, Grillby considered what his next plan of action should be. There was no doubt in his mind that this kid needed to find their family, and fast. He didn’t want them to be forgotten because they decided to nap in the snack aisle. The store was pretty small; he figured he could walk them around and see if he could find their parents.

After confirming the plan in his mind, Grillby went about trying to rouse the monster with a light poke. It took a few prods to the shoulder and skull, but eventually, the skeleton started to awaken. They yawned—somehow without opening their jaw, to Grillby’s confusion— eye lights slowly brightening as they looked at Grillby. “wussit?”

Grillby put on his best non-threatening smile as he stuck a hand out for the monster to grab. “...Hey there. You look a little lost, can I help you find your family?”

“heh, he’ll find me soon enough. i can feel it in my  _bones_ ,” the monster joked, shifting slightly to put their hands in their pocket.

“...It’s not safe for you to be around unsupervised. Someone could kidnap you, or worst.”

The skeleton paused, grin shifting slightly downward. “eh, kidnap? kid, ’m 30 years old.  _tibia_  honest, i don't think anyone’s gonna take me for ransom money anytime soon.”

Grillby’s eyes widened. “...What?!”

Before he could inquire further a grocery cart rushed down the aisle, squeaking to a stop beside them. Long arms reached down over Grillby to pick up the skeleton as the person began to scold them. “BROTHER! What have I told you about snoozing around in inconvenient places?! Honestly Sans, you’re—wait, GRILLBY IS THAT YOU?”

Grillby turned around to see Papyrus standing before him, holding his brother under his armpits as if he was a teddy bear. His greeting got caught in his throat as he took in Papyrus’ appearance, subconsciously covering his cheeks as he felt a blush threatening to overtake them.

He was used to the taller skeleton wearing large, cozy sweaters, with prints that always convinced Grillby that they belonged in his grandparent's closet. He figured that Papyrus just had an affinity for old-school clothing and left it at that, but today. Today, Papyrus wore a thin cream-colored cable-knit sweater that draped down to the middle of his legs, which were covered by black leggings. Unlike the other sweaters that engulfed his form in fabric, this one hugged him enough to show off his slender figure, while still being loose enough to glide right over the empty space beneath his ribcage. It was a good look for Papyrus, Grillby decided. A very good one.

_Wait, why was he praising Papyrus’ outfit?_

Realizing that he had been staring, he snapped his eyes up and waved awkwardly. “...Heya Papyrus.”

“Wowie, I didn’t think I’d run into anyone I knew today!” Papyrus gushed, grinning widely at him. “Grillby, this is my brother Sans!”

“...Nice to meet you, Sans,” Grillby tried to keep his expression neutral, but the fact that he managed to mistake Papyrus’ _older_  brother for a child was still running through his head. To his relief, Sans didn’t look to be too offended by it; in fact, was he even awake?

“hey.” Oh, guess so.

Papyrus shook his head, depositing Sans into the child seat of the grocery cart. “I hope Sans wasn't too much of a bother.”

“...Nah.” Grillby got to his feet, brushing off the front of his pants. After a moment of thought, he grabbed one of the packages of ketchup chips and placed it in his basket. “...Looks like he helped me pick out a snack.”

“You EAT those?” Papyrus asked, disgusted.

“...Definitely not. I have a friend that loves weird snacks. We're hanging out over break after he comes back from visiting home. Uh…” Grillby stepped back towards the shelves, flattening against them to let an older dog monster walk past. Suddenly he realized the two of them were taking up quite a bit of space in the narrow aisle. “Maybe we can walk and talk?”

Papyrus nodded, turning his cart around to follow Grillby out of the aisle. “Where are you headed next?”

“...The dairy section, you?”

“Same!”

They headed towards the back of the store side by side, and Grillby couldn't help but glance over at Sans in the child seat every now and again. He wondered what kind of monster Sans was; maybe he was friendly and easygoing? Sarcastic, perhaps? Sans began to snore against the cart handle, giving Grillby his final analysis: definitely lazy. He turned to Papyrus, searching his mind for a topic to break the ice.

“...So, what are your plans for break?”

“Sans came to visit me on campus, so I'll be showing him around this week,” Papyrus said as he picked up a carton of milk and placed it into the cart. “How about you?”

Grillby shrugged. “...Hanging out by myself until Heats—my friend— gets back from visiting home.”

“You don’t visit your family during the break?”

“...Uh.” Visions ran through Grillby’s mind of past visits during the breaks at home: the awkward dinners, frequent shouting matches, and the occasional escape that consisted of stomping up to his room to scream into his pillow. He shuddered. “...I try not to when I have the choice.”

“That’s so sad!” Papyrus cried, large, comical tears pricking at the corners of his sockets as he picked up and hugged a carton of eggs to his torso. “It’s not fun to be all by yourself!”

“...I kind of like being alone.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s fun or enjoyable! How about you come have dinner with me and Sans tonight?”

“...I couldn’t impose.”

“I INSIST.”

“...I can’t say no?”

“You don’t want to bask in my company and enjoy my cooking?”

Oh no, somehow Papyrus was pulling the puppy look on him. How did he even do that with eye lights? Grillby sighed, clearly defeated. Even if Papyrus didn’t guilt him into it, Grillby couldn’t deny he wanted to get to know the tall skeleton more. “...Okay, I’ll come over for dinner.”

Papyrus cheered, kicking his leg up behind him as he posed with the carton of eggs. “You won’t regret it! My cooking is second to none, I guarantee it! Sans, wake up! Grillby is joining us for dinner!”

Sans cracked open an eye socket, looking lazily from Papyrus to Grillby. “sounds  _egg_ citing, bro.”

Papyrus sighed, placing the eggs on Sans’ lap. “I’m sorry that you’ll have to sit and listen to my brother’s infernal puns tonight, but it will be fun, I promise! Let me write down my address for you.” He rummaged through Sans’ hoodie pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, letting out a loud sound of disgust when he saw it was half-covered with ketchup. “Sans, don’t you have anything in there that isn’t utterly filthy?”

“guess i need to  _clean_  up my act, huh?”

“SANS!”

While the two brothers argued, Grillby searched his jacket pockets for anything Papyrus could use, gasping when his fingers brushed over something folded. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a piece of paper from his memo pad, with a small checklist scribbled on the scribbled on the front that looked vaguely familiar to the one in his pants pocket. This must've been one of his older grocery lists; It should work for Papyrus.

Grillby coughed lightly to gain the squabbling brothers’ attention. He pulled out the pen from his pants and flashed it with the old grocery list. “...Will this work?”

“Yes, it’s perfect!” Papyrus praised, graciously taking the items. He leaned against the cart as he used the carton as a hard surface to scribble down his address, folding it and handing it back to Grillby when he was done. “Does six o’clock work?”

Grillby pulled out his phone and checked the time: 3:10. He nodded; that gave him time to finish shopping, put the groceries away and maybe catch a quick nap. “...Sounds good.”

“Great! Can’t wait to see you!” Papyrus strolled away with the cart, leaving Grillby to his shopping.  Grillby replaced the paper and pen in his jacket as the full weight of his decision hit him like a sack of potatoes, making his SOUL skip a beat. He was going to eat dinner with someone he barely knows, and their family.

_Oh geez._


	4. The Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exciting p̶l̶a̶t̶o̶n̶i̶c̶ dinner date is here!

After he finished up his grocery shopping Grillby quickly headed back to his dorm, dropping his keys twice in an attempt to unlock the door. He put away the cold items but left the rest in the bags on the counter as he collapsed face-first onto his bed without taking off his jacket or shoes.

Why did he say yes? He should've insisted on saying no or made up some bogus excuse that he was busy, but instead, he opened his mouth and agreed. Now he had to go, there was no tiptoeing around it.

Grillby huffed, flipping over to lay on his back as he stared at the ceiling. Nothing left to do but go have dinner with the cute barista and his brother. He rubbed his hands over his eyes as images of Papyrus from earlier flew through his mind, making his SOUL skip. What was it about that skeleton that made him like this? Whenever he thought about Papyrus his spirit soared, and his SOUL quickened in the other’s presence. Maybe it was just Papyrus’ personality affecting him? He did seem to have a positive influence on things around him. Yeah, that must have been it.

He pulled out his phone, holding it above his head as he checked the time: 3:45PM. He had planned on taking a nap when he finished shopping, but maybe it was a better use of his time to figure out where Papyrus lived first. Fishing the paper out of his jacket pocket, Grillby unfolded it and held it between his hands to look at it. _Wait, what the hell._

Instead of an address written on it like Grillby assumed—and what any ordinary individual would do when giving someone directions—an entire map of one edge of the campus had been drawn out in vivid detail. Grillby could make out all of the main landmarks easily from the features Papyrus included: even the cafe building was recognizable by the tree etched right over half of the building. He frowned; the map was great and all, but where was Papyrus’ apartment?

Covering his mouth briefly to stifle a particularly large yawn, Grillby studied the rest of the map. Maybe there was a clue that he didn’t see the first time. His eyes pored over it, examining every inch of the paper until he found a doodle in an empty space on the back of the paper, crammed in under his own writing.  _Oh my god_. Grillby couldn’t believe it, but the drawing was a near perfect and realistic representation of Papyrus wearing a tank top and flexing.  _Were those sunglasses on his arms?_ He couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at the imagery. Trying to quell his giggles—and failing multiple times—Grillby finally managed to look back at the drawing to see a small speech bubble that had been obscured by his hand the first time. He wiped molten tears from his eyes as he read the text, which turned out to be the hint to solving the map. How did Papyrus have time to jot down an entire a puzzle? That guy was so full of surprises.

Grillby turned the paper back over, carefully folding the corners of the drawn map to the landmarks mentioned in the solution: Papyrus’ major building, his own major building, and the tallest place on campus—the administrative building. Unfolding the paper, Grillby turned over onto his stomach and pressed the sheet flat against his nightstand. He used a pen to trace over the creases starting from the place he and Papyrus first met—the cafe, of course—and followed it for four directional changes exactly before stopping at a small, unassuming building on the map. According to the solution, this was his destination. Grillby sighed, flopping onto his pillow. He guessed he would have to trust in these instructions; it’s not like he had any other choice.

Grillby’s body shuddered as another yawn forced its way out; maybe he could take a small nap before leaving? It didn’t take him very long to get to the cafe in general, and it looked like the distance was even shorter from there to Papyrus’ place. He pressed the toe of his left shoe into the back of the other, using gravity to slip his shoe off before doing the same to the other. He got about half of his jacket unbuttoned before he gave up and fell into a peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

An hour passed and Grillby roused from his slumber, shuffling clothing around until he was standing in front of his mirror and holding two shirts on either side of him. He placed the one in his left hand—a plain blue button-down with a black tie— against his torso first, eyeing himself for multiple angles to gauge how he looked.  _Awful._  Replacing the shirt with the grey button-down in his right hand, he went through the same process, sighing as he tossed both down on the bed to rest against a pile of similar shirts. Why were button-downs the only nice shirts he owned? They were much too formal for a simple dinner, but everything else he had was way too casual for this. How was he supposed to impress Papyrus and his brother? What if Sans didn’t like him because he was dressed too slovenly for him? Well, the skeleton seemed pretty sloppy himself, but maybe if he looked too proper he might accidentally offend Sans and then Sans won’t like him and maybe he won’t let Grillby see Papyrus anymore and--

Wait, he had to think about this rationally. There was no way Papyrus and Sans would care that much about what he was wearing, and there was no real reason he needed to impress Sans; He and Papyrus weren’t even dating! Rubbing his palm absently, Grillby walked over to his dresser, fishing around until he pulled out a black sweater with stars outlined in white on it. This sweater was one of his favorites, gifted to him by his sister before he left for college. He tended to only wear it around at home and when he hung out with Heats, but maybe Papyrus would appreciate it? Grillby slipped it on over his current t-shirt, instantly relaxing into the plush fibers. He glanced over at the clock above his stove as he stretched his arms; it was still considered in good taste to be early right?

Sitting down on his bed, Grillby slipped his shoes on, making a noble effort to ignore the pile of shirts on the edge of his bed. If he looked too long at them, he’d want to clean them up and he didn’t have time to do that if he was going to be early. _I’ll clean them up later,_  He promised himself as he put on his jacket, stuffing his phone and the directions into the front pocket. Jogging to the door, Grillby paused in front of his closet. Did he need—no, the weather was partly-cloudy today, he was fine.

Making sure his keys were in fact in his pocket with the rest of his stuff, Grillby left the dorm and made his way to the cafe. As he walked, Grillby noted how different campus was the dark compared to how it was during regular class hours. The trees seemed bigger, the wind felt harsher, and every step against the pavement was as if he were stomping against it. It wasn't that he was afraid of the dark or anything, it was just unnerving walking around outside at night. At least his flames kept the area around him illuminated, which was nice. After a while he reached the cafe, glancing through the windows at the dark interior for a moment before taking out the directions. He pressed the paper against his forehead lightly, a habit he carried with him since childhood, hoping that it would lead him to his destination, before walking down the unfamiliar path.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a small house, checking the map on the paper to make sure it was the right place. Looks like he’s been mistakenly thinking that Papyrus lived in a single apartment the entire time. Grillby approached the door, gathering up his courage and knocked on it once, waiting a second or two to follow it with a louder knock. A moment of silence passed before he heard the sound of footsteps, increasing in volume as they got closer. The door flew open, revealing Papyrus. He looked at Grillby, tapping a ladle against his skull as he checked his watch. “Hello, you’re early! You must be a person that likes to make a good impression by getting to events before the allotted time!”

Grillby rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he tried not to focus on the frilly apron Papyrus was wearing over his sweater dress. It was deep red in color with white frills, and written in black marker across the chest were the words  **‘KISS THE SKELETON’**. Due to the empty space between his ribs and pelvis, Papyrus had to tie the strings around his middle multiple times, smashing the letters together so that they were barely discernable from one another. Despite that, the outfit suited him way too well. Grillby cleared his throat to answer. “...Yeah, is that okay?”

Papyrus grinned. “It is! I always make it a point to get to events one hour before they occur! You still have a while to go before you reach my level, but I believe in you! Come in, come in!”

Grillby followed Papyrus into the house, taking off his shoes at the door. He unbuttoned his jacket and handed it to Papyrus when asked—as he had hoped, Papyrus did like his sweater, which felt like a mini accomplishment—taking a moment to glance around the interior. It was what he kind of expected; a little small, yet homely. He guessed that he was in the living room, which consisted of a dark, slightly worn couch, an old coffee table, and surprisingly, a sleek-looking TV. Along the wall were a few bookshelves filled with various small, colorful books that he couldn’t quite distinguish, along with tall, thinner books that he vaguely recognized from a music elective class he took once.

“In awe of my humble abode?” Papyrus asked, returning from the closet.

“...It’s really nice. Do you live here alone?”

Papyrus shook his head. “I have two roommates that live here, but they’re both traveling over break. With each other,” He added, spotting the puzzled look on Grillby’s face. Grillby hummed in understanding. That would make sense that Papyrus would have roommates, since trying to afford rent as a college student could be difficult.

A series of beeps came from the kitchen, making Papyrus jump slightly. “I have to go take care of that, you can talk to Sans while I’m gone!”

“...Okay,” Grillby agreed, searching the room for the shorter skeleton. He found what must have been Sans under a large blanket on the couch, so he went over and took a seat. The blanket wiggled in place slightly as he leaned back on the couch.

“hey.”

“...Hey.”

“so. what do ya study, grillbz?”

Grillby fought to keep his face neutral. There was a time and a place to argue over nicknames, and this wasn’t it. He swallowed his pride, angling his body towards blanket. He had to remind himself that Sans was under it so he wouldn’t think too hard about how weirded out he was about talking to an inanimate object. “...Material Science.”

“cool cool. do you like it?”

“...It’s alright.” The conversation lulled as the blanket stilled. Grillby was content to sit in silence but somehow he figured the conversation wasn’t over, so he decided to ask a question of his own. “...What do you do?”

“little bit o’this and that.”

“...Ah.” A diversion, but for what purpose?

“how didja meet paps?” A slight edge hung on the syllables, unnerving Grillby more than he thought it would.

“...He works at the cafe I visit regularly.”

“is that so.” Sans finally emerged from the blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders as he gave Grillby a long, level look with his eye lights blacked out. “how do ya feel about him?”

“...Papyrus? To be honest, I still barely know him. This is my first time interacting with him without a counter between us.”

“oh.” The light in Sans’ sockets returned. “paps is like that most of the time, friendly ever since he was a babybones.”

Grillby let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He wasn’t sure, but he felt like he had just dodged a huge bombshell. “...Yeah?”

Sans scooted over to sit closer to Grillby, pulling a thick book out from under the blanket. Grillby read the cover, putting a hand over his mouth to stop himself from giggling; he couldn’t believe it, but it was Papyrus’ baby album. He made eye contact with Sans, nodding vigorously. No way was he going to miss out on cute baby pictures if he could help it. The shorter skeleton’s grin widened as he opened the album, showing off the first picture of a small bundle of bones wrapped in a duck-patterned blanket. “this was the day he was born.”

“...Oh my gosh, he’s so small!” Grillby fawned.

“heh, yea. he was a skele _ton_  of trouble ever since the beginning. think this was the only time he managed a full night's sleep for months.”

Grillby laughed, trying to imagine a small version of Papyrus running around at three am in the morning. At that moment, the actual Papyrus leaned over the back of the couch, resting his head on Sans. He frowned as he caught sight of the content. “SANS! Are you showing off my babybones pictures again?!”

Sans reached a hand up to pat Papyrus’ face softly. “‘course i am, bro. you were adorable.”

“Yes, I know I was an adorable baby bones, but this is neither the time nor the place for this! Dinner is finished, so you two can come into the kitchen and eat.”

Papyrus stalked back into the kitchen. Sans shrugged, putting the album to the side and unwrapping himself from the blanket. Grillby followed him into the kitchen, sitting in the empty seat on the other side of the table from Sans. The air smelled of various spices, some of which Grillby could identify as onions, garlic, and peppers.

“I wasn’t sure what you would like to eat, so I figured that spaghetti would be a safe option since it's not really watery,” Papyrus said as he placed plates in front of Grillby and Sans.

“...It looks great.” Grillby praised, and he could’ve sworn that he saw Papyrus actually shine from the comment.

“yea it’s  _pasta_ bly the best looking spaghetti i’ve ever seen.”

Papyrus glared at Sans as he sat down beside Grillby with a bowl of soup. “Sans, this is supposed to be an enjoyable hangout and dinner session with friends; there’s no space for your puns.”

“sorry, i couldn’t  _pasta_  up the opportunity.”

“SANS!”

Grillby snickered under his breath; their relationship reminded him so much of his own with his sister. Except without all the puns. Pulling himself together, he gestured to Papyrus’ bowl. “...No spaghetti for you?”

“The Great Papyrus likes many things! However, I haven't quite got the stomach for spaghetti, it's too stringy for my glorious palate. So instead I made bean soup for myself.”

“heh, you haven’t gotten the stomach for it because you’re a skeleton, good one paps.”

Papyrus sighed loudly. “Why must you be like this?”

As the siblings squabbled, Grillby took a bite of his spaghetti, and instantly regretted it. Fighting against every part of his body that told him to spit it out, Grillby chewed and swallowed, wondering if it were possible for fire elementals to get sick. Papyrus looked over as Grillby put the fork down on the plate. “Oh! How is it, Grillby?”

It was awful, point blank. How could someone manage to mess up spaghetti this bad? It was too hard and too soft at the same time, and the sauce managed to only make it worse by being way too spicy. Grillby looked up at Papyrus, gazing into the somehow sparkling pool of white that made up the other’s eye lights, and he knew how he had to answer him: tell a half-truth. “...It’s indescribable.”

Papyrus cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he absorbed Grillby’s words. “You know, Sans says the same thing to me whenever he eats my cooking. I guess that must mean that you like it!” Grillby looked up to meet Sans’ eye lights, subtly giving the other a nod: _we can never tell him._

Over the rest of the dinner, Grillby promised himself he'd teach Papyrus how to cook as he forced down the rest of his plate. Papyrus led the conversation, and through it Grillby learned that Sans worked at a small research laboratory studying particle physics, but whenever Grillby asked a question about it Sans brushed it off with a pun and a topic change. On the other hand, Papyrus was an open book, telling him about his classes, professors, and weird orders he received at the cafe while working. Every so often Papyrus would stop to chastise Sans over a bad pun, only to tell a worse pun in retaliation. Grillby smiled as he listened to the interactions; it reminded him of what an actual family dinner should be, compared to the silent affairs that occurred in his household.

Eventually, they all decided that dinner was over, and Papyrus went about collecting the plates and putting them in the sink. Grillby stood in the living room with Sans, checking the time. “...It’s getting late.”

Sans hummed in agreement. “gonna head out then?”

“...Yeah, probably.”

“well, it was great to meet ya pal,” Sans said, sticking out his hand. Grillby went to grab it, and a loud farting sound erupting from their connection. He pulled his hand back, scandalized, as Sans revealed a whoopie cushion on his palm. Grillby watched as the short skeleton collapsed into giggles.

“Really, the whoopie cushion gag?” Papyrus called from down the hall.

Sans wiped tears from the corner of his eye sockets. “it gets ‘em every time. whew, okay, ‘m good.” He got to his feet, turning to face Grillby. “you’re a good kid, grillbz, with great fashion sense. seriously, you have to tell me where you got this sweater.”

“...My younger sister, Fuku, bought it for me.” Sans’ eye lights widened for a second, before softening.

“no wonder i like ya. take care of paps while i’m away, okay?”

Sans disappeared before Grillby could react, leaving him to gawk awkwardly at the spot where he was before. Papyrus walked into the room with Grillby’s coat draped over his arm, chuckling. “Don’t worry, he’s probably just around setting up another inter-dimensional gag to prank me across time and space. Last time he came to visit, I kept finding his socks in odd places for a week. I even found one in my oatmeal; I had to throw away that entire container.” He shook his head. “Anyway, thank you for coming over to have dinner with us!”

Grillby took his coat from Papyrus, shrugging it on and buttoning it up to his neck. “...Thanks for inviting me, it was really fun. I wouldn’t mind hanging out again if we’re both free.”

Papyrus cupped his skull as his jaw hung open. “You mean it?!”

“...Yeah?”

Grillby grunted as Papyrus pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his mandible roughly against the top of Grillby’s flames. “I would be delighted to hang out with you again, friend! OH! Let me give you my number!”

Papyrus let go of the elemental, pulling his phone out of his apron and passing it to Grillby. He did the same, handing his phone over as he entered his digits into Papyrus’ phone. After a moment of thought, he put in his full name in so that way Papyrus would be able to find him on MonBook if he wanted to. They exchanged phones and Grillby pocketed it without looking at it. Somehow he knew that it would be worth it to wait for a text to see what the other put in. Saying their last farewell, Grillby waved goodbye as he left Papyrus’ house, pulling his coat closer to his face as he began his trek back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Acquaintances to Friends! <3
> 
> ALSO, CHECK OUT THIS ADORABLE FANART FROM [ KERANGKATELANJANG! ](https://kerangkatelanjang.tumblr.com/post/171592705377/is-it-weird-to-ask-for-grillby-x-pap-here) (18+ Tumblr)


	5. The (Fall) Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby and Papyrus chat with each other over break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This almost felt like an odd anime filler chapter, but maybe it's just because of the text formatting Lolol
> 
> ~~Also please praise me over how nice this chapter looks I spent a really long time fighting with the formatting to get it perfect tyty~~

While Grillby had  ~~hoped~~  expected Papyrus to message him at some point, he couldn't say he foresaw the other texting him at 5 am in the morning. But, well, here he was waking up to his phone vibrating on the night desk. Grillby yawned loudly, reaching over blindly to feel around on his desk for it. He let out a small sound of triumph as his hand brushed by something vaguely rectangular-shaped, dragging it over and resting it on his face.

Hitting the side button—and instantly regretting it as he was blinded by his screen—he opened his messaging app, squinting to read the message.

xx/xx/xx 5:00am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _HELLO GOOD MORNING GRILLBY_

Grillby stared at the message, trying to piece together what was going on before he remembered; last night he and Papyrus exchanged numbers. He quickly typed out a reply without thinking before silencing his phone and stuffing it underneath his pillow, rolling over to go back to sleep. Whatever Papyrus wanted, it could wait until it wasn’t _5 am._

A few hours later Grillby woke up to the sun creeping in through the window and an empty stomach, so he dragged himself off of his bed to the stove, wrapping his blanket around him and tying it to his neck as he left. He turned on the stove, placing the pan on the eye and grabbing some eggs from the refrigerator to cook. As the eggs sizzled quietly Grillby leaned against the counter, waiting for his mind to catch up with the rest of his body. He thought about his plans for the day, which consisted of a lot of nothing so far. He looked over to his bed, imagining a break filled with sleeping the day away before he dismissed the thought. His SOUL may have been willing, but his body was weak, and unused to spending long periods of time napping.

Grillby picked up the pan, shaking it slightly before flicking his wrist to toss the eggs in the air. One landed smack dab in the pan while the other landed slightly off to the side, just barely managing to stay inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he replaced the pan to the stove, remembering fondly the first time he tried that trick when he was younger. That day he had learned that fire elementals could, in fact, fry an egg on themselves.

Chuckling at the memory, Grillby turned off the stove, sliding the eggs onto a plate and placing it on the table behind him with a fork. He jogged over to his nightstand, putting his glasses on and reaching under his pillow to grab his phone before walked back to sit down in front of his food. He ate his eggs slowly as he unlocked his phone, tilting his head at the new message notifications. Who could’ve texted him this early? Fuku? No, she was notorious for lazing around in bed for as long as she could. Then... _Oh!_ Grillby vaguely recollected waking up really early to a text, now that he thought about it. He opened his messages, reading the new replies—and apparently, the one he sent directly after the first one.

xx/xx/xx 5:01am  
_Why are you alive right now?_

xx/xx/xx 5:01am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY AM I ALIVE_  
_ARE YOU NOT  
_ _GRILLBY DO I NEED TO COME SAVE YOU_

Wow, Papyrus was something else. Shoving more food into his mouth, Grillby typed back a reply.

xx/xx/xx 10:47am  
_Hey, sorry about the cryptic message earlier, I was half-asleep. I meant more like ‘why are you awake at 5 am?’_

Surprisingly, Papyrus messaged back almost immediately.

xx/xx/xx 10:47am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _I AM ALWAYS AWAKE AT FIVE IN THE MORNING_  
_I RUN EVERYDAY WITH MY ROOMMATE BUT I CAN’T LET MYSELF SLACK OFF WHILE SHE’S AWAY  
__WHAT ARE YOU UP TO TODAY_  

He runs every day? Grillby looked down, absently squeezing his stomach area. No wonder Papyrus was in such good shape…wait a minute, he didn’t even HAVE muscles!

Finishing up the rest of his breakfast, Grillby took his plate to the sink, putting some serious thought into a solid plan for the day as he burned the food residue off of his used dishes. He was pretty sure that he didn’t want to leave the apartment today; the couch-potato life was calling his name. He could play phone games maybe, but he wasn’t really feeling it.

Grillby turned around, sweeping the room for ideas. His gaze settled on the bookshelf, and he remembered he had picked up a book the other day when he went to the bookstore to return his rental textbooks. He went over to pull out the book, stifling a laugh as he looked at the cover. He took a quick picture of it and sent it to Papyrus.

xx/xx/xx 10:55am  
_[attached image]  
__I'm going to sit on my couch and read this shitty book the entire day._

xx/xx/xx 10:55am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _WHAT IS THIS_  
_'YOU HAD ME AT HELL-O’_  
_OH MY GOSH THAT'S A DEMON ON THE COVER_  
_WOW GRILLBY I NEVER WOULD’VE THOUGHT THAT YOU’D BE THE TYPE OF PERSON TO READ SUCH FILTH_  
_I THINK I'LL REALLY HAVE TO REEVALUATE OUR NEWFOUND FRIENDSHIP  
__(EXCEPT NOT REALLY SINCE I VALUE IT *AUDIBLE WINK*)_

Oh, did Papyrus not like romance novels? Or maybe it was too raunchy for him? Grillby stared at the cover again. The art depicted a thin, well-endowed slime monster swooning into the arms of a muscular demon. Both of them were looking off into the distance at a bright, fiery landscape. This seemed pretty tame, compared to other books he had seen before, but just in case Grillby decided to apologize.

xx/xx/xx 10:57am  
_Sorry if I offended you._ I just like to read bad romance novels.

xx/xx/xx 10:58am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _WAIT THIS IS A ROMANCE BOOK_  
_I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME SORT OF_  
_SEXY JOKE BOOK_  
_I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH ROMANCE  
__ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY FEATURE GREAT KNIGHTS WOOING OVER THEIR ROMANTIC INTEREST_

xx/xx/xx 10:58am  
_I don't mean to derail the topic, but ‘sexy joke book’?  
__Why does it sound like there's a story behind that?_

xx/xx/xx 10:59am  
**_THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
_** _UNFORTUNATELY SANS CAN GET VERY CREATIVE WITH HIS PRANKS SOMETIMES  
HE GIFTED ME A BOOK FOR APRIL FOOLS DAY THAT WAS FILLED WITH PUNNY PICK-UP LINES AND INNUENDOS_

Grillby laughed; that's a sibling for you. He sat on his couch, rearranging himself and his blanket until he was laying on his back with his legs dangling off the side and book flat against his chest. He scrolled through the contacts on his phone, curious to see if Papyrus put in any other information yesterday. Once he reached Papyrus’ screen name he expanded the contact to read the full info:

 **First Name:** THE GREAT PAPYRUS  
**Middle Name:** FROM THE COFFEE SHOP THAT EXCELS IN MOST THINGS EXCEPT GETTING YOUR COFFEE RIGHT(YET)  
**Last Name:** SKELETON  
**Email:** papyrus.ss.skeleton@monmail.net

Grillby read the contact card twice, each time coming back even more confused. It couldn't be… could it? He had to ask Papyrus.

xx/xx/xx 11:02am  
_Hey, so I was looking through your contact card and uh—well I guess I'll just ask.  
__Is your last name really ‘skeleton’??_

xx/xx/xx 11:03am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _I_  
_WELL_  
_UGH YES_  
_MY LAST NAME IS SKELETON_  
_I KNOW I KNOW_  
IM A SKELETON WITH THE LAST NAME SKELETON  
_I’M UPSET ABOUT IT TOO_  
_SKELETON WHO DECIDED THAT_  
_I SPENT MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD THINKING SANS WAS PLAYING A PRANK ON ME_  
_OH GREAT NOW HE'S PUNNING AT ME_  
_WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS PUNISHMENT  
__I WILL TALK TO YOU LATER_

Grillby wedged his phone in the cushions underneath him as he shook his head. It's not like he could make too much fun of him: his own last name was Fire. Looks like both of their ancestors lacked something in the naming department.

He picked the book up off of his chest, turning it around to read the blurb on the back. At first, the book didn’t really seem all that interesting to him, but when the synopsis promises ‘inter-dimensional large scale battles’ and a love triangle between the main character, a demon, and an angel there’s no way he could leave without buying it. Burrowing further into his blanket, Grillby opened the book and began to read.

* * *

 

Grillby woke up the next day—again at 5am—to another text message from Papyrus. He wasn’t kidding about running everyday Grillby guessed. He would set his phone on vibrate so the messages wouldn’t wake him up, but if his parents decided to call him and he missed it he would be in a lot of hot water. Reaching for his phone, Grillby shielded his eyes from the screen and read the message.

xx/xx/xx 5:00am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _GOOD MORNING GRILLBY  
__HOW ARE YOU TODAY_

xx/xx/xx 5:01am  
_Tired.  
__Are you going to send me a message every day?_  

xx/xx/xx 5:01am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _YES OF COURSE_  
_YOU ARE MY FRIEND  
__I SEND ALL OF MY FRIENDS DAILY MESSAGES_

Aw, Grillby was kind of touched. Papyrus either set aside a lot of time to make sure he reached out to all of his friends...or he didn’t have many friends. Grillby frowned; he hoped it was the first one. However, this was too early for anything, even friendship.

xx/xx/xx 5:02am  
_That’s really nice, but…_  
_Do you mind sending me a message a bit later?  
__I’m a bit of a late riser._

xx/xx/xx 5:02am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _OH OKAY_  
_SORRY_  
_I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU WERE A MONSTER WHO EMBODIED THE SAME SORT OF STICKTOITIVENESS AS I BUT IT LOOKS LIKE I WAS MISTAKEN_  
_I WILL HONOR YOUR REQUEST AND SEND YOU A LATER MESSAGE  
__IS FIVE THIRTY OKAY_

Grillby wasn’t sure if Papyrus was insulting him or just being blunt, and he really wasn’t in a mood to decipher it right now. He sighed, rubbing his eyes before responding. 

xx/xx/xx 5:03am  
_Please don’t contact me earlier than 10 am, good night._

He shoved his phone under the pillow and turned on his side, staring at the wall as he waited for his eyes to get heavy. He laid there for a few minutes, which turned into a few hours, and when he finally found himself drifting off into something akin to sleep, the sun decided to grace him with its presence. Quickly giving up on any hope of getting back to sleep, Grillby pulled out his phone again. As he expected there were a few unread messages.

xx/xx/xx 5:03am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _OKAY CAN DO FRIEND_  
_I WILL NOT MESSAGE YOU BEFORE TEN AM_  
_WAIT I’M DOING IT NOW_  
_OH NO_  
_I’M SORRY GRILLBY_  
_WAIT I KEEP DOING IT_  
_GRILLBY I’M SORRY WHAT DO I DO  
__SORRY I’LL STOP TALK TO YOU LATER_

xx/xx/xx 7:13am  
_Hey, sorry I get a little hot-headed in the morning. How was your run?_

Grillby waited a few moments for a reply, frowning when ten minutes had passed. From what he could tell, Papyrus was usually a person that would answer back as soon as possible when texted, but…

Did he accidentally hurt Papyrus’ feelings?

xx/xx/xx 7:28am  
_Are you okay?  
__I’m sorry if my other message was a bit mean._

xx/xx/xx 7:25am  
**_THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
_** _(YOU ASKED ME NOT TO MESSAGE YOU UNTIL TEN SO I’M TRYING TO RESPECT YOUR WISHES)_  
_(EVEN THOUGH I REALLY WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS DOG I SAW TODAY)  
__(AND I REALLY WANT TO SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF SAID DOG)_

xx/xx/xx 7:26am  
_You can talk to me whenever just try and wait until later in the morning to text me._  
_I have to keep my phone volume on for emergencies, so I wake up at any notification.  
__Now, please tell me about this dog._

xx/xx/xx 7:26am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
**_WE’RE STILL FRIENDS RIGHT?_

xx/xx/xx 7:27am  
_Yes, of course._

xx/xx/xx 7:27am  
**_THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
_** _FANTASTIC_  
_I’M GLAD THAT WE ARE FRIENDS_  
_AND CAN ENGAGE IN THINGS THAT FRIENDS DO_  
_LIKE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE DAY_  
_AND SPAMMING EACH OTHER WITH PICTURES OF ADORABLE ANIMALS_  
_SPEAKING OF WHICH_  
_[attached image]_  
_THIS IS THE DOG I SAW ON MY RUN TODAY  
__SHE WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND MUCH NICER THAN THAT OTHER INFERNAL DOG I KEEP RUNNING INTO_

Grillby clicked on the attachment to download it, holding back a squeal of delight as it opened. It was a selfie of Papyrus and a rather large dog next to himself. The dog seemed to be more interested in his glove-clad hand than she was in looking at the camera, but Papyrus didn’t look bothered as he smiled his thousand watt smile. Ignoring the fuzzy feelings in his stomach, Grillby switched back to message Papyrus.

xx/xx/xx 7:31am  
_That is probably the cutest dog I’ve ever seen in my life._  
_But what’s this about another dog?  
__You run into it multiple times? You're very lucky._

xx/xx/xx 7:32am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON** :  
_YOU DON'T KNOW THIS DOG LIKE I DO GRILLBY_  
_IT'S VICIOUS AND A MENACE_  
_AND IT KEEPS STEALING MY EXTRA BONES_  
_LOOK AT THIS EVIL ABOMINATION  
__[attached image]_

The image Papyrus attached was so blurry that Grillby couldn’t really make heads or tails of it. The picture looked like it had been taken in a bedroom of sorts, but a large white blur had taken up most of the frame. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so he went for something generic.

xx/xx/xx 7:33am  
_Oh, it seems really big?_

xx/xx/xx 7:33am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _ACTUALLY IT’S RATHER SMALL_  
_BUT STILL_  
_IT’S EVIL I PROMISE  
__ANYWAY WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO TODAY?_

That was a good question actually. It was Monday, which meant that most of the facilities on campus would be open for use. It had been a while since he last went to the equipment lab, and without any classes being held in there, he would be free to work in peace. Yeah, that was a pretty solid plan. Grillby willed himself out of bed, putting together a quick sandwich as he messaged Grillby back. 

xx/xx/xx 7:40am  
_I think I’ll probably go to the Material Science Lab today._

xx/xx/xx 7:41am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
**_OH WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THERE_

xx/xx/xx 7:41am  
_Well, don’t laugh but  
__I like making art out of metal._

xx/xx/xx 7:41am  
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:  
** _OH REALLY_  
_THAT SOUNDS REALLY COOL_  
_OR SHOULD I SAY HOT_  
_BECAUSE YOU NEED HEAT TO WORK WITH METAL_  
_BUT I GUESS YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT_  
_AWKWARD_  
_OH LOOK SANS IS CALLING ME TO LOOK AT SOMETHING  
__TALKTOYOULATER_

Grillby shook his head; Papyrus really was something else. He finished up his food, cleaned off the table and put on appropriate clothing for outside. After checking the forecast for the day—low chance of rain—Grillby grabbed his coat and scarf, along with an umbrella for safety.  He looked around to make sure all of his appliances were off, and then he left his dorm.

* * *

Grillby spent the next couple of days visiting the lab as he thought of an art project to work on, but he didn’t really decide on anything major yet. He spent the first day going through the scrap metal for materials he liked and ended up with a few dozen sheets of metal and rivets. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to make, but he stored it away anyway just in case he figured it out.

The second day he went back, Grillby decided that he needed to get back into the habit of manipulating his flames for the artwork. After taking off his glasses and putting on the welding apron his professors required him to wear—He thought that it was ridiculous to wear it since he was _literally_ made out of fire, but he really didn’t want to get into an argument about it, and now he just instinctively put it on—Grillby spent a couple of hours working on a tiny project to get back into the groove. He took a few nuts he found scattered across the ground and welded them together with the flames on his pointer finger, making sure not to melt them completely together. After finding a few small bolts and a rather large bolt with a head he liked, Grillby finished a small snowman sculpture.

During his time in the lab, he still kept up near constant communication with Papyrus when he wasn’t actively welding, which helped him keep time and leave at a reasonable hour. Papyrus told him about seeing Sans off at the train station after his visit, and how he returned to his entire room had been covered in aluminum foil, even his clothing had been separately covered.

“ _IT MIGHTVE BEEN A GIGANTIC WASTE OF KITCHEN SUPPLIES, BUT AT LEAST MY BROTHER MANAGED TO DO SOMETHING ACTIVE FOR ONCE,”_ Papyrus had texted him after a few hours of cleaning up his room.

Apparently, Papyrus’ roommates had also come back while he was working, and he managed to get a small feel for their characters from Papyrus’ messages. There was the person he did his daily runs with, a fish monster named Undyne, and her girlfriend, a dinosaur monster named Alphys. Papyrus told Grillby that when the two of them came home, Undyne immediately grabbed onto him and executed a flawless German suplex as a greeting. Grillby was rightfully concerned, but Papyrus told him that this always happened—which, to be honest, didn’t really help alleviate Grillby’s concerns at all.

Papyrus seemed to like them, so Grillby decided not to worry too much about it.

He considered sending Papyrus a picture of his metal art, knowing that he would probably enjoy seeing it, but something about showing his art off to others made him uneasy. Instead, Grillby took it home and set it up on his bookshelf. He knew it wasn’t anything flashy, but something about having something he made decorating his dorm made him smile.

* * *

 

Heats returned near the end of the week, and Grillby immediately dragged the other to the rock climbing gym.

“[Hey Grillby, I’m not sure how to feel about this,]” Heats muttered in their native language.

Grillby looked down at Heats, noting the curious yet intimidated look in his eyes. Heats was much smaller than he was, reaching up to about Grillby’s mid-calf on a good day, so he understood why Heats would be afraid to scale the wall. It also didn’t help that last time they came here, Grillby taught Heats how to use the auto-belay system without thinking about how light he was. Heats had taken off like a rocket after Grillby had let go, and while Heats had been angry for a solid week, he at least still appreciated the photoshopped pictures of him as a shooting star.

“[It’s alright, I made sure to be prepared this time,]” Grillby grinned, showing Heats the brick he had been carrying since he picked the other up. Heats looked between Grillby and the brick skeptically, but after a moment shrugged.

“[Okay, sure.]”

Grillby set the other up with all of his equipment, attaching the brick directly to the hook on the auto-belay system. He waited for Heats to go through the steps he showed him before, hooking himself directly to the system before disengaging it from the apparatus that kept it in place, and to their delight Heats stayed on the ground.

“[We did it!]” Heats exclaimed, flashing Grillby a thumbs-up. “[Okay, I’m gonna try this! If I get stuck I’ll yell at you.]”

Grillby nodded, walking over to the other auto-belay system and hooking himself in. He looked up at the wall, getting a feel for where the route was headed. After a few minutes of strategizing, Grillby positioned himself, grabbing the two rocks jutting out on either side of his head and placing his feet on the rocks slightly above the floor. He lifted his left foot to the next available rock, using the momentum to propel himself up to grab the next rock with his right hand.

Grillby slowly traversed the rock wall, patiently picking the best path for himself and prioritizing safe routes rather than more daring ones. It’s been awhile since he’d last done this, and he could already feel his body responding to the exertion. He missed this; going to a gym and just focusing solely on the simple task of climbing instead of everything else he had to worry about. Maybe he could move his schedule around and make this a weekly thing with Heats?

A sudden ring from his pocket startled him out of his trance, making him miss the next rock he had lunged for. His SOUL dropped in his core as his hand swiped the rock, throwing his body dangerously out of balance. He let out a grunt as the auto-belay system snapped to life, preventing him from falling. Whew.

Grillby reached into his pocket with his free hand, fishing out his phone.

**Calling: THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON**

Grillby connected the call. “...Hello?”

At first, all he heard was a soft panting, along with a few other sounds that were farther away, but no actual answer. He tried again, raising his voice. “...Hello?”

_“-lo?.......-llby, I thiNK?.....GRILLBY IS THAT YOU?!”_

Grillby flinched as Papyrus’ yell filtered through, and it took all of his strength to not go spiraling off the wall again.

“...Yes, it’s me. Not that I don’t enjoy talking to you, but I’m a little busy-”

 _“GRILLBY SORRY, DO YOU MIND STAYING ON THE LINE? MY PHONE IS CURRENTLY—HEY, COME BACK HERE!”_ Papyrus’ voice faded away, and the soft panting came through the speaker again, along with a soft clacking sound every now and again that made Grillby wonder what was happening on the other end.

Deciding to honor the other’s wish, Grillby stayed on the line as he kicked off the wall, slowly descending to a more appropriate height for a phone call. He had hoped that Papyrus would come back to the phone before he hit the ground, but the only change he heard was a soft snoring.

After a half hour had passed, Heats came over, dragging the brick behind him. “[H-hey….what are you doing?]” He rasped, collapsing against Grillby’s leg.

Grillby gestured to his phone. “[A friend called and asked me to stay on the line, but they haven’t come back.]”

“[Hmmm, maybe they’ll call you back later? No use in just staying on hold for this long, right?]”

Grillby nodded, disconnecting the call and slipping his phone into his pocket. He picked up Heats and the brick, placing him on his shoulder. “[How about we head back to my place and play games or something? I picked up some gross chips for you to try.]”

Heats turned to look at Grillby, eyes wide in excitement. “[YES, LET’S DO IT!]”

Grillby laughed softly as he left the gym with Heats, putting the odd call out of his mind. Heats was right; Papyrus would definitely call him back or text him soon explaining the whole thing.

However, Grillby didn’t receive a text from Papyrus for the rest of break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small aside, you guys ever read Maximum_Overboner's 'I'm Feeling Fine, Kid'? 
> 
> Well in chapter 43 of that fic Papyrus realizes that his last name is 'Skeleton' and that whole exchange in that chapter is my lifeblood and inspired my naming him here.


	6. Statics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break time is over, and the second quarter begins

It had not been a good start of the day for Grillby. To start, his phone had gone off extremely early that morning, and while Grillby had been hoping that perhaps it could’ve been Papyrus contacting him, maybe telling him about his morning like usual and sending him pictures of more cute animals, instead it was actually his parents wishing him a good first day of classes. Well, less well wishes and more them reminding him of their deal that kept him in school debt-free, as was the norm every quarter.

Usually, he was mentally prepared for them, but ever since the strange call from Papyrus and the lack of contact over break Grillby felt a little...off. He found himself checking his phone more often than usual to make sure he didn’t miss anything but no new messages appeared.

Grillby was pretty worried; had he actually managed to make Papyrus mad at him by not staying on the phone? Papyrus didn’t seem like the type of monster to get this offended from a mistake, at least that's what Grillby thought, based on what he knew of his behavior. Irritated, yes; but never upset to the point of stopping communication. Even when he got curt with Papyrus over his early morning texting—which he still regretted, damn sleepy him—Papyrus still couldn’t stop himself from talking to Papyrus, so what happened?

Between this odd behavior and his parent’s ~~unwanted~~ early morning phone call, Grillby had a hard time concentrating on his first two classes: Materials Processing and Organic Chemistry. It was good fortune that the first day of the quarter usually ended up being the professor going over the syllabus, so it wasn’t like he was missing too much, but it was still annoying. He hoped that this weird funk wouldn’t last too long for him because he really couldn’t afford to let himself fall apart this early in the year.

By the time his Statics class came around, he was about dragging himself along to get through the rest of the afternoon. The only thing that cheered him up was remembering that Heats had mentioned taking this class with him. Grillby trained his eyes on the seats, looking for Heats, instantly spotting the small wisps of flames in a seat near the middle of the room. He jogged down the steps to Heats’ section, raising his hand halfway up in a greeting as he slumped in the seat next to him.

“[Rough day?]” Heats asked, watching Grillby take out his notebook and pen.

“[Yeah, I can’t focus at all today.]”

Heats let out a small sound of understanding. “[I get you. At least it’s your last class, right?]”

Grillby nodded, leaning back as he watched monsters file in through the bottom doors of the hall. Since this class was a requirement for multiple majors, there were a lot of people he didn’t recognize, probably mostly from the mechanical and electrical sections.

Grillby’s interest was piqued by a quick flash of color passed by his vision, turning his head to decipher what it was. He followed the person through the crowd, scooting forward in his seat in order to not lose them, catching a hint of a baggy sweater. Wait, could it be? Suddenly, as if sensing they were being watched, the monster turned around, staring up at Grillby with bright eye lights and mouth parting into a large grin.

“Grillby! We’re classmates!” The monster (who was definitely Papyrus) shouted, waving wildly in his direction. Grillby shuffled down in his seat to avoid the many eyes now on him, raising his hand halfway up in recognition and using his scarf to cover up his darkening cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye, Grillby could see the questioning look in Heats’ eyes as they both watched Papyrus jog up the steps to their section, but he couldn't find the words to explain. He was just so—so...happy? Relieved? Maybe a little confused as to why Papyrus looked so excited to see him despite not contacting him?

Wow, he needed to reel back that sudden hint of possessiveness; that wasn't like him _at all._

He kept his face neutral as Papyrus made it to their seats, observing how Papyrus looked from him to Heats.

“Hello! I don't think we’ve met before. My name is Papyrus, nice to meet you!” He said, thrusting his hand out for Heats.

Heats glanced down at the hand, then flicked his eyes to Grillby with a quick head tilt. His flames curled up quizzingly as if to ask, ‘do we like this guy?’. Grillby gave a short nod to confirm.

“[My friend from break],” Grillby clarified.

“[OH! Well in that case],” Heats grinned at Papyrus, sandwiching his palm between both of his tiny hands. “Name’s Heats Flamesman, and don't you forget it! Nice to meet’cha!”

Papyrus smiled back, letting Heats shake his hand, before making his way to the empty seat beside Grillby. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

“...Go ahead.”

Papyrus sat down gracefully, placing his backpack between his legs on the floor before turning his body towards Grillby, mouth turned downwards. “Grillby, I must apologize for what happened over break.”

“...I was wondering about that, is everything okay?”

“Yes, it was just that blasted annoying dog I told you about before,” Papyrus complained. “He ate my phone while I was making dinner, and then when I cornered him in the living room? He stole my leg and ran out the door!”

“Wait, your leg comes off?!” Heats interjected, staring at Papyrus’ legs in shock.

“Yeah!” The elementals gawked in amazement as Papyrus removed his hand from his arm before replacing it. “It doesn’t hurt either, which is good because this happens very frequently!” Papyrus waved his reattached hand. “Anyway, long story short I had to get a new phone and I didn’t have a chance to memorize your number. We’ll have to exchange them again.”

The chatter in the lecture hall ceased as the professor dimmed down the lights and turned on the overhead projector, directing their attention to the screen. “Sorry, let’s do it after class,” Papyrus apologized, turning back to face the front of the room.

Grillby let his thoughts wander to Papyrus as the professor began going over the syllabus for the class. He didn’t seem upset about what happened over break, more embarrassed honestly, which helped Grillby breathe a sigh of relief; it wasn’t something that he managed to fuck up, which was a comforting thought.

Grillby tilted his head to the side, subtly observing Papyrus out of the corner of his eye. Papyrus wasn’t wearing his usual work gloves, showing off his slender fingers—What were those bones called again? Should Grillby look them up? Would Papyrus take offense if Grillby didn’t know the common bones that made up a skeleton?—as his hand rested on the side table. Grillby found that the sight of these bones no longer unnerved him, compared to the first time they met.

He shifted his gaze, taking in the complex, colorful shapes on Papyrus’ sweater before moving down to his legs, distracted by the rapid jiggling of his leg. Was he okay? Grillby glanced up at Papyrus’ face, not noting any discomfort or other negative features on his face. Maybe it was a nervous tick?

The sound of paper shifting on the projector pulled Grillby’s attention back to the center as the topic changed to the introduction subject of the class. He opened his notebook, focusing fully on the lecture as he jotted down key phrases and important information to look up in more detail later. Grillby learned early on that he couldn’t move fast enough to take down all the information during lecture if there was a powerpoint presentation, so he developed ways to figure out the most important subjects on the slide to remember. That way when he went to read the textbook he’d recall the points mentioned in lecture and focus on the specific subject more in-depth. It might take up more of his time learning the material that way, but it made sure that he actually understood it instead of memorizing vague examples.

After fifty minutes of taking notes and listening to their professor drone on, the lecture was finally over. Grillby turned to Heats, looking to chat about the lecture, only to sigh exasperatedly at the sleeping elemental. He prodded him with his pen, taking delight in the small shout the other emitted as he woke up, instantly jumping to his feet and falling into a fighting stance.

“[Who? What?]” Heats looked around frantically, whipping his head back and forth before he relaxed, frowning at Grillby and slumping his shoulders in relief. “[What’s the big idea, scaring a sleeping person?]” He whined.

“...You shouldn’t be sleeping in the first place,” Grillby laughed, responding in common for Papyrus’ sake. He patted Heats on the shoulder before turning to Papyrus, searching for a topic to talk about. “...So uh, statics.” Grillby wished he could go jump in a hole, god he was so bad at conversation.

Fortunately, Papyrus smiled, grabbing Grillby’s hand and clasping it between his own. “Statics! I’m happy we have a common class together, it gives us more of an opportunity to get to know each other.”

Grillby’s flames sparked upwards in surprise. “...Yeah, I agree,” He sputtered, feeling his face heat up from the attention. Distantly, he remembered Heats was still watching the exchange, which only added to his embarrassment.

“Oh, before I forget—” Papyrus let go of Grillby’s hand, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone—”Numbers!” Grillby pulled out his phone, trading with Papyrus and quickly exchanging digits again.

“...I get to be graced with your daily texts again,” Grillby chuckled, putting his phone back into his pocket.

“Indeed! Nyeh heh heh.”

The three of them gathered his bags and left the lecture hall. Papyrus turned around to face Grillby and Heats. “I have to head over to the coffee shop for work, but we should work on homework sometime together. What do you guys think?”

“....Um, yeah, that sounds great! Heats?” Grillby asked, looking down at Heats.

Heats placed his hand on his chin in thought. “I’m more of a lone wolf, ya see. I don’t work with others, but you two can work together without me.”

Papyrus nodded, waving frantically to them as he left. Heats waved back, keeping up his easy-going grin as Papyrus looked back every few steps to wave at them while Grillby, on the other hand, stared open-mouthed at Heats. He waited for Papyrus to finally leave the lecture hall before crouching to the ground in front of Heats, the tips of his flames burning bright blue. “[What was that?! You’re always asking me to do homework with you, and now you decline?]“

Heats smirked, placing his hands on his hips. “[Me? What about you? You never wanted to work with anyone else before, always going ‘oh, I work alone’, but now you’re agreeable to it? I think that you’re doing it because you’ve got the hots for skeleton man.]”

“[What?!]” Grillby shot back, scandalized. “[I do _not_ have the ‘hots’ for Papyrus!]”

“[You kept staring at him during lecture!]”

“[Wouldn’t you stare if you sat next to a person made of all bones?]”

“[And the blushing?]”

“[I get embarrassed easily!]”

Heats huffed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot as he searched for another point. “[Uhhhhh...OH! You stayed on the phone waiting for him for half an hour over break! That’s excessive even for you. Would you do that for any old friend?]”

Grillby opened his mouth to disagree but paused. Heats was right, for once. If it were Heats (probably the closest he had to a best friend) he would’ve stayed on the line for a few minutes _maybe_ before hanging up. Something about Papyrus compelled him to stay on the phone, to wait for the other to get back, no matter how long it took.

How did he actually feel about Papyrus? Could he actually be crushing on him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting somewhere with this romance plot arghhhhh


	7. Making a moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Grillby have their homework date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a huge shout out to the bf for this chapter. He not only gave me the idea for the class, he also taught me how to calculate the concepts I use in this chapter!

The two of them had decided to set up a homework date--Papyrus called it that, but for some reason the phrase made Grillby anxious; he preferred ‘homework session’ or ‘homework hangout’--for that Friday, which ended up working well enough for Grillby. He quickly found himself buried in text readings and pre-lab prep from his other classes and it seemed like Papyrus was in a similar situation with his own work, so the extra days allowed the two of them to get their other stuff done first.

With all the work he had to do, Grillby’s mind was too occupied to think about Heats’ words from the first day of class, and how true or untrue they might’ve been. He was ninety percent sure it wasn’t a crush though. He found him attractive, sure, but crush? pfft. Maybe if he let himself forget about it, it’ll just disappear and he’ll go back to normal. That’s what he hoped anyway.

Friday afternoon came quicker than he realized. Before he could blink it seemed like his Statics class was over and he was exiting the classroom along with Heats and Papyrus.

Heats turned to look at the two of them, smirking when Grillby caught his eye. “Time for your homework date, huh?” he asked, emphasizing the ‘date’ part. Grillby blushed, opening his mouth to retort only to be cut off by Papyrus.

“Yes! You’re still welcome to join us if you’d like?”

Heats snorted, turning to leave. “No way. Third wheels don’t work well on bikes or homework dates. Catch you guys later.”

Grillby shook his head at his friend’s antics, but Papyrus looked confused, raising his hand to his chin in thought. “Does Heats know that tricycles exist?”

“...Just ignore him. Let’s head to the cafe?”

The two of them made their way outside, chatting as they walked to the coffee shop. The conversation topics ranged wildly from the frigid weather they had been experiencing lately to more abstract things like romantic tropes.

“...Look, I’m just saying that romance novels are unrealistic. There’s no way a person just _bumps_ into their soulmate on the first try--” Grillby snapped his fingers, letting loose a few sparks “--just like that. _”_

“I see nothing wrong with finding your chosen one by chance from the first encounter. I'm sure it happens for some monsters,” Papyrus mused.

“...Fine, let’s assume they meet the monster of their dreams _by chance_ , and it’s great, perfect even. They barely have to put effort into the relationship but it’s literally fantastic. I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Yes? It seems very plausible to me.”

“...No arguments ever, perfect chemistry? Always apparently amazing at sex despite being a virgin?”

Papyrus coughed, uncomfortable. “It could happen, probably.”

“...The love interest is always really possessive, but we’re meant to think it’s ‘adorable’ and definitely normal and healthy in a relationship?”

“Well, it’s...”

“...It’s unrealistic, is what it is.”

“So then why do you keep reading them?” Papyrus asked curiously.

Grillby’s flames flickered in surprise, but he shrugged nonchalantly to try and play it off. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he enjoyed the escape that romantic novels gave him. Sure, they were unrealistic, but reading about something that could never happen to him was calming. It was a little embarrassing to say it out loud, especially to someone so cute handsome cool like Papyrus. Luckily, Papyrus took the gesture at face value, and the rest of their short walk was filled with comfortable silence.

The two of them entered the cafe, and Grillby couldn’t stop a sigh from escaping as a pleasant warmth reached his face. It must’ve been cold enough for the shop to start up the fireplace. Fighting the urge to lie down in front of the heat source, Grillby directed Papyrus to the table he preferred and placed his stuff down.

“Are you thirsty?” Papyrus asked, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater as he glanced towards the front.

“...If it’s not too much trouble.”

Papyrus ran off towards the counter, squeezing his way past Reddi to the espresso machine. Grillby looked at the counter and the table indecisively before heading to the front himself. He leaned on the counter, taking in the amused expression on Reddi’s face.

“...What’s got you so chipper today?’

“Nothing. Been a while. Happy to see you. Papyrus too, I guess. You two getting along?”

“...Yeah, you could say that. We’re in the same class so we’re doing homework together. How have you been?”

Reddi shrugged. “Not dead. Thesis is...manageable.”

Grillby laughed lightly at Reddi’s answer. If he recalled correctly, Reddi’s senior thesis was on the differences between the common monster language and a few native languages, so there was no doubt that it was probably difficult. He couldn’t remember if Reddi had included Fire Elemental Speak in their choices, but he figured that they might have passed it over for more word-based ones.

A mug was placed in front of Grillby, clattering slightly as it made contact with the table. Papyrus came from behind the counter, holding a mug of his own to his chest as he smiled. “Shall we?”

Grillby picked up his mug, taking a quick whiff before turning back to Reddi. “...Homework calls. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Sure. Good luck, Grillbz,” Reddi said, raising a wing to their forehead in a salute. Grillby returned it and then walked back to his table. Papyrus already had his textbook laid out in the middle, angled diagonally so that they could both see it. Grillby took a seat, swiping a quick sip of his coffee as pulled out his notebook. _Hold on a second..._ He picked up his mug, peering curiously inside at the murky contents. It wasn’t as perfect as Swirlby’s, but he couldn't deny that it tasted almost passable.

“...This is good,” Grillby praised, gesturing to the cup as he set it off to the side. “...Have you been practicing?”

“I have! Thank you for noticing!” Papyrus replied. “I’m glad that my dreams of making you a perfect coffee are getting closer and closer to being achieved every day.”

Grillby knew that it was just Papyrus being his usual people-pleasing self, but the thought of him wanting to make Grillby happy was overwhelming, causing Grillby to stare at the notebook in front of him instead of commenting. He could feel Papyrus’ eye lights on him, no doubt questioning his odd behavior, so he had to say something, anything. Grillby, say something!

“...Thanks.” Nailed it.

Eager to pretend that the past five minutes didn’t happen, Grillby forced himself to take a deep breath, letting the anxious jitters fade away before diving into his homework. He wasn’t sure how Papyrus had wanted to tackle working together, so he decided that he would just work until he got stuck. Then, he would ask Papyrus for advice. It seemed logical to him, so he hoped that Papyrus had similar thoughts about it.

Grillby glanced up, inwardly sighing with relief as he saw that Papyrus’ actions mirrored his own. He was deep in his work and just about staring a hole into his notebook as he tapped his pencil against his mandible.

It didn’t take long for Grillby to run into his first difficult problem. So far, his homework dealt with forces acting on stationary objects, which was easy enough to figure out. The forces had to cancel out in some way or fashion so he just had to set all of the forces equal to zero and apply a little math to solve them. However, his current problem was on the concept of moments, which was new to him. Grillby thought he understood how to solve it in class when his professor went over a few examples, but clearly, that wasn’t the case as he struggled to figure out where to begin.

He sneakily glanced over at Papyrus, wondering how he was faring. Before he could peek further, Papyrus raised his head and locked eyes with him.

“Do you need assistance?”

Grillby rubbed the flames on the back of his head sheepishly. “...A little bit. I realized I’m not sure how to do this problem.”

“Oh? Which one?” Papyrus asked, leaning over slightly to look at the textbook.

“...Ten.”

Papyrus studied the book for a few seconds to confirm which problem it was, letting out a small sound of understanding. “Okay, what don’t you understand about it?”

“...Everything.” Grillby flushed slightly. God, he was so dumb; Papyrus probably already finished this section of the homework. He probably thought that Grillby was stupid and not cool and-

Papyrus prodded Grillby on the center of his forehead, snapping him out of his anxious cycle. “You’re doing that thing where you put yourself down, aren’t you?” He asked, frowning. “I can tell from the way how agitated your flames are. It’s a difficult subject but I, the Great Papyrus, will teach you everything there is to know about moments, and soon your problems will feel like a small _moment_ in time, nyeh heh heh!”

Grillby, completely thrown off by the pun, snorted. “...I’m ready. Teach me, O wise Papyrus.”

Papyrus politely ignored the comment as he drew out the problem on a piece of paper. “Okay, so we have a flat object with two points, kind of like this pencil.” Papyrus waved the pencil for emphasis. “Well, if the pencil had two sharpened points instead of an eraser, but just pretend okay?”

“...Got it.”

“Okay, we have the object, and we have the two points. We’re going to call these points R1 and R2, like in the problem. Then we have a force that we’ll call F, and it’s pushing down on the pencil at some distance away from R1, which the problem labels as L1, and then finally we have a total length, which is just labeled L. Still with me?”

“...Yep.”

“Perfect!” Papyrus examined Grillby’s paper, looking at the diagram he had already drawn out along with the parts of the problem he worked on. “I see you figured out that the force is equal to the sum of the points, good job!” He gave Grillby a thumbs-up. “Now we just have to find the moment of rotation around this R1 point. I think the problem is asking that, right?”

Grillby looked down at his problem to confirm. “...Yes, that’s correct.”

“Did you write down the formula the professor gave us in class?”

“...Yes, but I don’t quite understand it. We have each moment equaling the force times the distance right?” Papyrus nodded. “Why is distance multiplied by the force? And how do I know which length to use?”

“Both of those questions can be answered at once! Take this pencil for example.” Papyrus picked up the pencil, holding it at its sharpened end. “If we apply the same force at different spots of the pencil--” Papyrus demonstrated by using his finger to push down on the middle of the pencil, and then near the eraser-- “We’d have a different rotation, wouldn’t we?”

Grillby squinted his eyes as he watched Papyrus demonstrate, the wheels in his mind turning as he processed the information. He tried to visualize the rotations that would occur from the spots Papyrus pointed at, concluding that they would in fact differ. “...Yes, that makes sense to me.”

Papyrus smiled. “Let’s start writing it out then!”

Grillby slowly went through the problem with Papyrus, writing down the information he knew. Along the way, Papyrus corrected him once or twice on his signs being mixed up, but soon enough he found the answers to the problem.

“...Whoa,” He sighed in amazement as he stared down at his paper.

“You did it Grillby! I’m so proud of you!”

Grillby crackled happily.. “...That wasn’t so bad after you explained it to me. You’re really good at teaching.”

Papyrus clapped his hands to the sides of his face. “Wowie, you think so?! It was actually Sans who taught me how to solve moments, so I can’t take all the credit.”

“...Sans?” Grillby couldn’t imagine that lazy skeleton getting up from a nap, nevermind teaching Papyrus engineering concepts.

“I know what you’re thinking: ‘That lazybones? Actually putting _effort_ into something?’ It’s more likely than you’d think! Sans is actually very passionate about science and science-related subjects.”

“...Really?”

“Yes, he’s really quite amazing,” Papyrus said, smiling gently. “When I told him I didn’t understand this concept, he immediately ran to fetch a whiteboard and about 20 different things to teach me.”

“...Wow, that’s pretty amazing. Sans sounds like he’s a pretty good brother.”

“He is the best!” Papyrus agreed.

“...It’s really adorable how you two gush about each other,” Grillby mused absently as he picked up his pencil to write down the next problem.

Papyrus coughed lightly. “Sh-should we work on the next problem together? To make sure you have it down?”

Grillby looked up at him, scrutinizing the slight orange blush dusting his cheeks. _Curious._ “...Sure.” Maybe he’s just feeling too hot, Grillby concluded. He was wearing that giant sweater, no doubt it must’ve been very warm.

They worked on the next problem, which turned out to be more complicated than the previous one. Instead of being flat this object was bent like a ‘S’, and there were multiple forces being applied in different directions. He got lost a few times trying to solve it, but between Papyrus correcting his sums and making sure he didn’t get completely lost in his variables, Grillby finally finished the problem.

“...Okay, I think I understand it,” Grillby said, stretching his arms out across the table as he collapsed over his homework. “...That was difficult. It probably would’ve taken me literally the entire night to figure out just that particular problem on my own.”

Papyrus patted Grillby on the head lightly, taking great care in making sure he didn’t agitate his flames. “I’m glad I was able to help free up your night. If you have any other questions over the weekend, feel free to text me.”

“...Thank you Papyrus, I really appreciate it. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Nyeh heh heh, you’re welcome! Will you need help getting home?”

Grillby swiveled his head towards the window to look outside. “...No, I think I’ll be alright. You?”

“I’m going to help Reddi close up, and then I’ll head home. Would you like me to text you when I get there?”

“...Yeah, that sounds good.”

They broke off to do their tasks: Papyrus gathering up the loose dishes and Grillby packing up his bag. He waved a quick goodbye to Papyrus and Reddi as he left, walking briskly to avoid being outside in the cold for too long.

Once he returned to his apartment, Grillby wasted no time in stripping himself of his outerwear, pants, and shirt, before retreating to his covers. He exhaled happily as the warmth spread throughout his body. He took off his glasses and placed him on his desk before turning the light off, bathing the room in near darkness as he wiggled into a comfortable position for the night.

He was just on the cusp of falling asleep, his body becoming heavy and his eyelids drooping dangerously low when a sudden thought shocked him to full-alertness. It took him a second to figure out what it was that had awakened him, but once he did Grillby rolled over onto his stomach and groaned into his pillow: he accidentally called Papyrus adorable out loud earlier... and meant it.

_Fuck, I actually am crushing on him._


	8. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby comes to terms with his crush and also makes some mistakes

Ever since the revelation of his newfound crush, Grillby found himself noticing more details about Papyrus than he thought was possible. There was, of course, the constant jitters that wracked Papyrus’ body during class time, which Grillby managed to pull together enough courage to ask Papyrus about it at the next homework session. Apparently, Papyrus had an influx of magic in his body that kept him energized and restless. His daily runs helped to tone them down to manageable levels, but it still resurfaced occasionally in the form of his shaking leg. Papyrus had been worried that he was bothering Grillby with the constant movement, but the other was quick to reassure him that everything was fine, while at the same time trying (and failing) not to fall further into his crush.

He had also began to notice more subtle Papyrus quirks, such as the different laughs Papyrus had depending on whether he was giving a pity laugh or if he was truly tickled (Grillby had been very excited when he figured out that Papyrus regularly did the latter in his company), the way Papyrus’ eye lights would flicker slightly when he was deep in thought on a homework problem, even the smell of bones were starting to become familiar to him.

Grillby might’ve had a small obsession at this point, but how could be not? He sat Papyrus in class every day for an hour, except for Fridays when they spent extended time together doing homework. It was getting so bad that Grillby started thinking of Papyrus even when they weren’t together, wondering about insignificant things like what he was eating and what kind of expression he had on. Even more embarrassing, Grillby started noticing Papyrus infiltrating his dreams, grinning at him in his sweater dress from the time in the store with his arms held wide open for a hug.

He knew he should’ve been more concerned about all of this, especially since there was a chance it could negatively impact his grades, but to his surprise, it was the opposite. His grades had never been better since they started working together. Between asking Papyrus to teach him homework concepts and studying extra hard on his own time to impress Papyrus when they met, Grillby was learning the material faster than he had any other subject. He was even keeping up in his other classes. What was the harm of falling into a little crush? It’s not like Papyrus could be interested in him anyway, so he allowed himself this one indulgence.

It was the Friday before midterms and Grillby was in the coffee shop, sitting near the fireplace and poring over his textbooks. Papyrus and Reddi were working to accommodate the influx of customers, and from his vantage point, Grillby could see the two moving behind the counter in tandem. When a new customer approached the counter, Papyrus would put on his customer smile (which was slightly less upturned than the genuine smiles Grillby and Heats earned) and take their order, working the cash register as Reddi fluttered about making the drink. Sometimes when he peeked at them work over the top of his textbook Papyrus would meet his eyes, and he would try his hardest to keep his flames steady as he offered up a shy wave in return.

A few hours passed with Grillby studying for this course and that until Reddi announced the half-hour warning for closing time. Grillby sighed, closing up his books and gathering his loose notes together in his notebook. He had spent most of the time studying for his chemistry class since that midterm was first, but he made sure to also devote some time to his other two classes as well. Did he feel ready for midterms? Possibly. He’d probably put in more studying on Saturday and Sunday in order to feel a little more prepared.

After packing his bag up Grillby got up from his chair, turning away from the fireplace to leave. Reddi was somewhere in the back tending to pre-close activities, and Papyrus was in the front, wiping down tables. He looked up as Grillby approached him.

“How was studying?” Papyrus asked, rag in hand as he wiped down the surface of a table.

Grillby shrugged. “...Studying. I’ll have to pick it back up tomorrow, but I think I’m making good headway at least.” An odd sound caught his attention, making him look up towards the ceiling. “...Do you hear that sound?”

Papyrus looked up as well, tilting his skull to the side to listen. “Do you mean the rain?” he asked.

“....What?!” Grillby rushed to the window to look outside, his shoulders slumping in despair as he took in the downpour happening outside. He fished his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and checking the weather app: partly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain. “...Are you kidding me,” he moaned.

“Are you okay, Grillby?”

Grillby stepped away from the window, collapsing in a chair at the table Papyrus was working on. He leaned back in the chair, running his hands over his face as he let out a big sigh. “...When I checked the weather before I left my dorm, my app said it was partly cloudy with such a low chance of rain that I didn’t even think to bring my umbrella. But now…” He gestured towards the window weakly.

Papyrus glanced at the window, whistling lowly at the sight. “It’s really coming down out there! Will you be okay getting home?”

“...I’ll manage,” Grillby replied, after some thought. He really didn’t want to go out in the rain, especially the way he was right now. He had a hood on his jacket that would protect him a little bit, but with the way the rain was falling it was only a matter of time until the rain soaked through his hood and leaked onto his flames. The rain wouldn’t _kill_ him, but it really, really, stung.

He must’ve had a grave look on his face while thinking about it because Papyrus pulled him into a tight hug without any warning. “Grillby, I don’t want you to suffer!” Papyrus wept, burying his face in Grillby’s flames. “Oh! Why don’t you come home with me until the rain lets up? It’s really close!”

Grillby sputtered, blushing wildly. “...It’s-it’s fine, I promise!”

“Nonsense, I’ve already decided. I wouldn’t be the Great Papyrus if I allowed you to go home by yourself.”

Grillby let out a long breath as he awkwardly patted Papyrus’ back. At this point, it would be an uphill battle to try and get Papyrus to change his mind, so it was better to just go along with his plan. Besides, it was true that Papyrus lived closer, and it _would_ be much more comfortable to endure the rain with a shorter distance. He definitely wasn’t accepting because he wanted to spend more time with Papyrus. Definitely not. “...Okay.”

Papyrus squealed, picking Grillby up in the embrace as he cheered. “Fantastic! You’ll get to meet my roommates! Just sit here until Reddi and I are done with closing up the shop and then we can head out!”

Papyrus deposited Grillby on the floor again, leaving him to blindly grope his way into the chair. Grillby slouched back, running his hand over his flames and taking deep breaths to try and calm his rapidly beating SOUL. God, Papyrus really was something else: always so brash and in-your-face….but Grillby liked it for some reason?? He groaned, covering his eyes as he fought the sudden urge he had to smile.

It took about half an hour later before Reddi and Papyrus finished up closing for the night. Papyrus came back to the table as Reddi left through the front door, apron-less and toting his own backpack. “It’s still raining hard out there, isn’t it?” He commented, looking outside.

“...Almost worse than before.”

Papyrus put his hands on his hips as he stared down at the floor, deep in thought. Eventually, he came to some sort of conclusion, clapping his hands together. “I figured it out!”

Grillby slowly got to the feet, questioning look on his face. “...What?”

“How to keep you dry!” Papyrus proclaimed, dropping his bag and hooking his fingers under his sweater. Before Grillby could protest, Papyrus peeled the large sweater from his body, revealing a short, white crop top that just covered his ribcage. Grillby averted his eyes out of respect, flushing hard.

“...What are you doing?!”

Grillby squeaked as the top of his head was covered with the garment. He used his hands to flip the arm of the sweater out of his view, gawking at Papyrus, who was giving him a thumbs up. “That’ll work to keep you dry. It’s made of merino wool, so it should be able to provide some cover for you in addition to your hood.”

“...Thank you, but what about you?” Grillby asked, gesturing to his state of dress.

“I’ll be fine! I can dry myself when we get to my place.”

Grillby nodded, adjusting the sweater so that he covered most of his face except for his eyes and glasses. Once he was all set, Grillby pulled his hood over the makeshift cover, buttoning up his jacket as far as it would go. It wasn’t as waterproof as his heavy-duty raincoat, but it should work for the most part.

The two headed to the front after Grillby was all set, standing under the cover of the cafe as Papyrus locked up. He tried hard not to stare, but he couldn’t help but look at Papyrus’ bones on display. It was….mesmerizing to see. He knew that the other was made of all bones, and therefore didn’t have a midsection or any other fleshy things that he and the other monsters had, but knowing and actually seeing the space under his ribs was something else entirely.

Fighting the urge to stick his hand in the empty space, Grillby instead focused on relaxing into the fibers of the sweater wrapped around him. It was really soft, softer than he would’ve thought wool could be; he definitely had to keep that in mind next time he went shopping. He smiled softly to himself, remembering that just a few minutes ago Papyrus was wearing this sweater. It was kind of like receiving a warm hug from Papyrus, especially since it still smelled like him.

When Papyrus finished locking the doors the two left the safety of the cover, briskly walking down the sidewalk to Papyrus’ place. It took a few minutes longer than it did when Grillby first walked there by himself since Papyrus insisted on stopping under dry spots to constantly gauge Grillby’s status, but eventually they reached the front door safely. Papyrus reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out his key and unlocking the door, letting Grillby through before following in behind him.

“I’m home!” Papyrus called. He turned to Grillby with a smile. “You can take off your shoes and jacket here. I’m going to go retrieve a towel to dry off and then I’ll take care of it.”

Grillby unzipped his jacket as Papyrus left down the hall, slipping off the wet clothing before bringing a hand up to dislodge the sweater from around his head. He held up the sweater in front of him, not wanting to put it with his wet jacket, so he stashed it under his arm as he took his shoes off and stepped into the living room.

The first thing he saw was a blue fish monster lounging on the couch, feet propped up on the table as her eyes turned from the television to stare at Grillby. _Eye,_ he corrected himself. He tried not to stare at the eyepatch over her other eye as she got up and walked over to him, frown on her face.

“Who’re you?” She asked, her long, fiery red hair cascading around her face in an intimidating manner.

“...Uh, I-”

“Undyne! Don’t be rude to my guest!” Papyrus scolded, stepping into the room with a towel around his neck. “That’s Grillby, so be nice to him!”

The monster, Undyne, glanced between the two of them. Realization seemed to hit her, and she stuck her hand out for Grillby, grinning wide enough for him to see her sharp teeth. “You’re the one this nerd keeps jabbering on about, huh? I’m Undyne, nice to meet you!”

Grillby reached out to grab her hand, biting his tongue to avoid shouting as her hand clenched his painfully. “...same,” He ground out. He held his hand to his chest when Undyne finally let go, hissing as it throbbed.

Undyne put her hands on her hips as she looked over at Papyrus, brows quirked. “So this is the monster that you can’t stop--”

“UNDYNE!” Papyrus ran over, clasping a bare hand over Undyne’s mouth as he blushed bright orange. “YOU AND I NEED TO START ON DINNER. IN THE KITCHEN. ALONE.” He stepped backward, dragging the now laughing monster with him and retreating to the kitchen. After a moment he stuck his head back out of the doorway. “Sorry Grillby, it’ll take a while for dinner to be ready, please feel free to sit in the living room and relax.”

Grillby tilted his head, flames curling up questioningly, but he acquiesced all the same. He took a seat on the couch, laying the stashed sweater on the arm of it before opening his bag beside him and pulling out his textbook and notes. Might as well use the time to get more studying in, he figured.

The lull of the television kept Grillby company as he worked on his notes, glancing up once or twice at the suspiciously loud sounds emanating from the kitchen every now and again. At one point he heard what he thought was a small explosion, but when he got up to go check it out Papyrus had come out of the kitchen, apron splattered with liquid, promising that everything was just fine.

Grillby finally decided that he was done studying for the night, but before he could pack his books away the front door opened, making him pause in his actions.

A large umbrella obscured the person entering the apartment, decorated with a print of small animated figures on the material, reminiscent of the cartoons Fuku would watch when she was younger. “I-I’m home,” a small voice stuttered out from behind the umbrella.

Grillby didn’t think that either of the two in the kitchen would be able to hear this monster, but to his surprise Undyne came rushing out, smiling softly as she helped take the umbrella from the other, revealing the small figure of a yellow dinosaur monster. Undyne helped her take off her jacket, running to put it away as the other waddled into the living room, stopping as she took in Grillby.

“O-oh, hello there!”

“...Hi, I’m Grillby, nice to meet you.” Grillby stood, crouching over the table to shake her hand.

“Alphys, ni-nice to, nice to meet you.” She said, taking his hand and shaking it. “Um, Papyrus talks a-about, uh, about you a l-lot.”

“...I’ve heard.”

“Ah, right. Mind if I, um, sit?” Alphys asked, gesturing to the couch. He scooted over closer to the arm of the chair, pulling his schoolwork over with him to make space for her. Apologizing, Alphys sat on the couch, picking a spot as far away from Grillby as she could. Recognizing her anxious nature, Grillby relaxed considerably. At least there was someone around here that was as introverted as he was.

The two sat in silence, idly watching the cartoon that was currently on the television. Grillby wasn’t sure what to make of the series; from what he could tell it was a magical show of sorts? The main character (or who he assumed was the main character since there were four or five other people there as well) was currently on a spiel about the power of love as she preached to the villain (again, he was assuming it was the villain. With the way they were dressed in all black, he was probably on the mark there). Alphys seemed engaged in it though, based on the way she was leaning forward on the couch.

“...Do you like this show?” He asked.

Alphys jumped at the sound of Grillby’s voice, apparently forgetting that he was sitting there. She looked over at him, adjusting her glasses slightly. “Yes! I-it’s one, uh, one of my favorites! Have you seen it?”

“...No.”

Alphys gasped, placing her hand on her chest in shock. “Wh-what?!”

Undyne ran out of the kitchen, fists poised and ready. “What’s up, babe?”

“He hasn’t seen Mew Mew Kissy Cutie!”

“WHAT?” Undyne stalked over to Grillby, trapping him in her grip as she slung a muscled arm over his shoulder. “Punk, we’re going to change your life tonight!”

“...Uh, my name is--”

“That doesn’t matter, punk!” Undyne interrupted, pulling him closer so that she was right in his face. _Smells like sushi,_ he thought distantly. “All that matters is that we’re going to show you Mew Mew Kissy Cutie from the beginning, and you’ll understand how amazing it is, got it?”

Grillby sighed; she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, was she? He could see why she and Papyrus got along so well. “...Okay.”

The girls cheered happily, high-fiving each other over Grillby’s work. He guessed he could take a little time out to hang out with...well, they weren’t friends yet, more like acquaintances. He already made the decision to stop studying for the night, and it wasn’t like he could leave anyway with the rain.

Grillby packed up his things as Alphys and Undyne went about setting up the living room. Alphys squatted in front of a bookshelf, finger moving over the titles to look for the series as Undyne ran back and forth to grab some of the items that were laying around on the floor. Papyrus finally came back out of the kitchen, much to Grillby’s delight, carrying a large pot of food with plates balanced on top of it. Papyrus had changed since they got in, swapping his crop top and jeans for comfortable pajama bottoms and a t-shirt with a large skull painted on the front. It was odd, but somehow it suited him.

Papyrus passed plates out to everyone before taking the lid off the pot, revealing a rice dish with meats and vegetables. Grillby held his plate out for Papyrus to spoon a generous helping onto it, and eventually, everyone had been served.

“So what are we doing?” Papyrus asked, holding his plate as he stood.

“Anime marathon, nerd. Stop standing there and sit with us!” Undyne barked.

Papyrus glanced at the couch with a frown, making Grillby look over himself to see what was the matter. The couch was large, but with three people already on it, there was only a small bit of space next to Grillby.

“Undyne, I don’t think I’ll be able to fit…” Papyrus said.

“‘Course you will. Hurry up, we’re wasting time!”

Papyrus sighed, throwing Grillby an apologetic look as he stepped over his legs. He politely wedged himself in the space, pressing his side firmly into Grillby’s. “Sorry about this, Grillby. Are you okay?”

“...F-fine,” Grillby responded, flames flaring wildly on his head. Papyrus was so close to him that Grillby could feel his shoulder brushing against the other’s ribcage through his thin shirt. Grillby shifted his arm down to try and give Papyrus some breathing room, but a loud intake of breath told him that was a terrible idea as his elbow breached the empty space under Papyrus’ ribcage and brushed against the side of Papyrus’ spine, he guessed?? “...Oh god, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Papyrus turned his head to Grillby, a light dusting of a blush on his face as his body shuddered briefly against Grillby’s. “My spine is just a little sensitive, I’m fine.”

Grillby smiled awkwardly as an apology, shoving food into his mouth to try and escape the moment. A few muffled giggles came from the other side of the couch but Grillby ignored them, focusing instead on the blank television. Papyrus coughed, changing the subject. “I thought we were watching something?”

“We’re, um, ready?” Alphys asked. When she received a positive answer, Alphys powered on the disc player and a colorful splash screen flickered onto the TV. “O-okay then, get, get ready to have your life, like, changed forever,” she said, pressing the start button.

Grillby relaxed into the couch as the bouncy title theme started, working on his food as he watched the show. The first episode was interesting enough; the main character, Mew Mew, through a series of events ended up getting merged with a cat, gaining special powers and cat ears. By the time they started watching episode 4 the series began to establish a pattern. There was effectively a new monster every episode that would terrorize the town and Mew Mew would have to stop them by kissing them and controlling their movements. Grillby thought the show was a little bland, but Alphys and Undyne were entranced, cheering everytime Mew Mew transformed and used her special powers. Even Papyrus started getting into the spirit, shouting out praise when she defeated the bad guy.

At some point around episode ten, Grillby fought to stay awake as his eyes started getting heavy, almost dropping his plate several times before catching it at the last minute with a jolt.

By episode fifteen, Grillby felt the plate being gently pried from his fingertips as he finally succumbed to sleep, slumping against the body next to him.


	9. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T THE CHAPTER WHERE THEY KISS??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE GREAT (AND HANDSOME) PAPYRUS DEALS WITH HIS ROMANTIC INTEREST IN A CERTAIN SAUCY FIRE ELEMENTAL AND RECEIVES BAD ADVICE FROM HIS BEST FRIEND, UNDYNE, AND BEST INTERNET FRIEND, WHO IS ALSO UNDYNE'S GIRLFRIEND, ALPHYS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had this chapter planned for awhile so I'm pretty happy to finally write it <3 Sometimes you just gotta get the other person's perspective yeah?

A heavy weight slumped into his side, distracting Papyrus from the show. He turned his skull to investigate the source, finding a snoozing Grillby curled up comfortably into his side. Papyrus’ SOUL fluttered happily from the image; Grillby’s glasses were slowly slipping in a downwards slope towards his lap, and his flames were calmly flickering close to his body—perhaps the calmest Papyrus had seen them all night.

He slowly reached over to grab Grillby’s plate, which had been in danger of falling to the ground, happy to see most of the food gone. Papyrus knew that Grillby would probably like the meal, and even if he didn’t he’d at least eat it out of obligation, much like he had done the first time they had eaten dinner together with Sans.

Papyrus stretched out towards the table to set the plate down, only to notice that he couldn’t reach it without jostling Grillby. He didn’t want to wake him, so instead, he held onto the plate in his lap.

 _Now what?_  he wondered.

Luckily, or unluckily for him, before he had time to ponder on his next steps, he heard a small squeal come from his left. He looked over to see Alphys, hands over her snout and eyes sparkling as she stared at him and Grillby. Undyne, who at some point during the marathon had pulled Alphys into her lap, glanced at him over the top of her head, grinning widely.

“Well, well, well,” Undyne chuckled, flicking her eyes between the two of them.

Papyrus tried to keep eye contact with her, but it took only a few seconds for him to turn away from her, skull burning in embarrassment. “Can I help you, Undyne?”

“No, I'm fine, just looking at my best friend being all cute with his crush.”

“I sh-ship it so hard,” Alphys squawked, attempting (and failing) to lower her voice in order to whisper to Undyne. “I’ve even-even got their sh-ship name already, uh-already figured out.”

“Oh my god, babe, please tell me. What is it?”

“Papby.”

Undyne burst into laughter, slamming her fist against the back of the couch. “PAPBY! I love it! Man, who do you think would top?”

“I-I think—”

“Guys, you’re going to wake up Grillby!” Papyrus interrupted, stage-whispering. He checked on Grillby, letting out a relieved sigh when the other merely shifted for a second before stilling. He turned back to his roommates. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to do from here. I was supposed to take him home when the rain let up, but…”

“It’s still raining pretty hard,” Undyne replied, ear fins twitching. Papyrus nodded, not doubting Undyne’s words. Due to her monster lineage, she was pretty in tune with the weather, especially if it was raining.

“Gue-guess that means Grillby will have to stay here?” Alphys asked.

Papyrus blushed harder, trying not to think of Grillby in his bed ~~and in~~ _ ~~his pajamas possibly, giving Papyrus one of his adorable crooked smiles~~. _ “Y-yes, I believe you would be right. I guess he can take my bed.”

“My boy is going to become a man tonight!” Undyne cheered, wiping fake tears from her eyes. “I’m so proud; I knew you had it in you.”

“I am  _not_ doing anything of what you think I am,” Papyrus protested. He leaned into Grillby, turning his body in order to carefully position him on his shoulder. Placing one hand firmly on Grillby’s back, he slowly rose to his feet and draped him over his shoulder. He wrapped his free arm against Grillby’ legs, securing the hold. “Grillby is going to sleep in my bed. Alone. And I will be sleeping on the couch.”

Alphys and Undyne burst into a fit of giggles, chattering to each other about pitching and catching as Papyrus slowly made his way to his room, checking his hold every now and again to make sure Grillby was safe. He was much lighter than Papyrus would’ve thought, but then again Grillby was made up of mostly fire and magic, and those tended to be pretty weightless.

Papyrus entered his room, using one hand to pull down his covers before gently depositing Grillby onto the bed. He pulled the covers back up, pausing briefly to take it all in. Grillby looked so peaceful in his sleep; his mouth was slightly parted, allowing small puffs of smoke to waft out intermittently. How was Grillby so adorable??

He sat on the bed beside Grillby, groaning internally as he held his head in his hands. Papyrus wasn’t sure when it happened, but before he knew it he had fallen head over heels with Grillby. At first, he had thought it was just intense feelings a person would feel after finding a friend, someone that you could laugh with and talk about random nonsense over the phone. But as time went on he wanted to be closer to Grillby, to learn what made him tick and most importantly, how he felt about Papyrus.

So far Papyrus wasn’t able to make any educated guesses on if Grillby liked him or not. He was surprisingly secretive, despite literally displaying his feelings on top of his head. Sure, Grillby had called him adorable a few times, but he said it so nonchalantly that it couldn’t have been anything more than a friendly compliment.

Papyrus sighed, lifting his head to gaze at Grillby. While he may have wanted to date Grillby, he didn’t want to mess up their friendship just because he was infatuated with him. He would simply have to like Grillby from afar! If Grillby liked him back, fantastic! If not, that was okay too. He stood, gently peeling Grillby’s glasses from his face and placing them on the nightstand. Throwing caution to the wind, Papyrus leaned down, brushing his teeth against Grillby’s forehead in a completely totally platonic way (Sans always kissed his forehead after reading him his bedtime story, and he did the same to Undyne and Alphys when he put them to sleep after they had been drinking together, so he was definitely in the clear here!) before fleeing to the door. He cast one more fleeting look at Grillby, and then he flicked the lights off.

When Papyrus finally made his way back to the couch, the girls had turned off the TV, gesturing for him to sit on the couch with them.

“So…” Undyne said to Alphys when Papyrus sat down. “What’s the diagnosis, doc?”

“I-it’s a case of the lo-lovesickness!” Alphys answered, giggling happily.

Papyrus felt the corners of his mouth twitching up sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his skull. “I can’t deny that I am attracted to him.” Undyne crossed her arms, nodding sagely.

“Of course you are! He’s a pretty good-looking fella.”

“Ve-very patient and, like, uh, smart.”

“A little jumpy though.”

“A-and slightly awkward.”

“Just your type!” The two chimed in unison.

“What do I do?” Papyrus asked. “I obviously just can’t come out and profess my undying love to him.”

“You gotta just sweep him off his feet!” Undyne said, tilting Alphys down in her lap for emphasis. “Grab him when he’s least expecting it, pull him in close—” She bent down towards Alphys so that their lips were inches apart— “And then you SMOOCH HIM!” She finished, peppering Alphys’ face with kisses, much to the other’s glee. “If that doesn’t work, you could always try a flattery suplex to show your feelings.”

“Don-don’t do that!” Alphys insisted, worming her way out of Undyne’s hold. “Grillby is really-really introverted, so you, like, can’t, um, be too up-up-upfront with him. You have to, like, write him a letter for him to me-meet you someplace. A-and then you confess!” Alphys turned around in Undyne’s lap to face her. “‘Grillby-sen-senpai, I’m in love wi-with you.’ Then he would say...”

“‘Papyrus-san, I love you too!’” Undyne crooned back, lowering her voice in an attempt to capture Grillby’s tone.

“Hee, ye-yeah! And then you pull him into a pa-passionate embrace!” Alphys wrapped her arms around Undyne in an exaggerated manner, making loud kissing sounds.

Papyrus sighed. “You two are just tossing out ideas for your fanfiction, aren’t you? This is serious guys, I don’t want to mess this up—not to say that I am anything less than perfection but…” Papyrus trailed off, blushing again. “I really like him.”

Papyrus stared down at his hands, nervously twiddling his thumbs together as the living room became silent. He heard shuffling from in front of him, and before he knew it blue hands enveloped his, making him look up at Undyne. She smiled down at him, wide enough for the light to reflect off her sharp teeth, and then pulled him in close under her arm.

“Just be yourself, Papyrus! That guy will see how good of a guy you are, and if he doesn’t then fuck him. Not literally, of course,” Undyne added after a moment of thought.

Papyrus chuckled, patting her bicep. “I’ll try it. Thanks, both of you, I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime, punk. You better let us know the instant you two become a thing, or I’ll throttle ya.” Undyne released him, bending down to pick up Alphys bridal-style and cradle her close to her chest. “Now then, we’re off to sleep; don’t stay up all night again, alright?”

“Of course, I am an excellent sleeper! I can even do it...in my sleep! Nyeh heh heh!”

Papyrus waited for their door to close before getting up, stretching out the kinks in his neck as he gathered the dishes from the table and headed to the kitchen. After putting the plates in the sink and the pot of food into the refrigerator, he picked up a rag and cleaned up the stove, tossing out the excess food that spilled over from a few enthusiastic stirs into the garbage can.

Finally, he tugged on his gloves and threw himself into washing everything in the sink, letting his thoughts stray to Grillby. He imagined the two of them together, doing stereotypical couple things like cuddling together under blankets, holding hands, smooching (he wasn’t sure how that one would work between them, did Grillby even have a tongue??), maybe even...lewd things...?

He slapped his gloved hands against his cheeks. He was a gentleman! There was no way he could allow himself to imagine such vulgar things until  _at least_ their 10th date! In any case, he was getting ahead of himself; first, he had to actually get a date with him.

Papyrus placed the last dish on the drying rack, patting himself on the back for another job well-done. Turning off the faucet and slipping off the gloves, he made his way back to the couch. He stood in front of it, focusing on the blankets draped over the back as he mentally checked his magic reserves. Somehow, despite running that morning and working a busy shift, they were still pretty high, meaning that he definitely wasn’t going to be able to get any sleep. Again.

He didn’t have any homework to do to occupy himself, and he didn’t want to study yet, so he picked up one of the couch cushions, reaching in the cracks of the couch to pull out a book. He hid it there a week ago, it being the same book that Grillby had shown him over spring break;  _You Had Me at Hell-o._ Papyrus still thought it was a ridiculous title, but all of the top tips he read on the internet for courting a monster suggested getting to know the other’s interests. They were experts obviously, so he might as well try the advice.

After unfurling and cocooning himself in the blankets on the couch, Papyrus flipped open to the first chapter, hunkering down for a long night of reading.


	10. The Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby wakes up in a bed that isn't his and makes some new friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a few days late ;;;; I had a work trip and a terribad cold and it just was a clusterfuck of bad haha

 When Grillby opened his eyes, there were two things that stood out to him. 

The first was that the ceiling above his head was not his own. His was white and had a weird sort of waffle-like texture that he really couldn’t explain, but this ceiling was blue and well—he couldn’t quite see, but it seemed pretty smooth.

The second, and more alarming of the two, was that he was laying in a bed that most definitely  _ was not his.  _

He sat up quickly, holding the blankets against him like a shield as he swiveled his head left and right in a panic. He caught sight of a large desk flush against the bed beside him and reached towards it, hoping that his glasses were somehow magically on top of it. Cheering internally when his hand brushed past the familiar metal frames, he put them on and began to take in his surroundings. He was (thankfully) alone in a big bed, possibly a queen sized one if he had to guess. The sheets were pretty comfortable, especially compared to his ones on his bed. Were these some sort of high threaded cotton? They were definitely warmer than satin but colder and lighter than flannel. He could spend all morning curled up in these sheets probably... But he should definitely figure out where he was.

He remembered watching TV with Papyrus and his roommates, but he didn’t recall ever stopping. Had he accidentally fallen asleep on the couch? That didn’t explain why he was in a bed; shouldn’t he have woken up on the couch? Well, if he knew anything about Papyrus (and he’d like to think that he knew a pretty good amount), he knew that Papyrus wouldn’t have let him sleep on the couch. So that meant….

_ Oh.  _

He was in...Papyrus’ room. He was in his crush’s room, sleeping in his crush’s bed...possibly wearing his crush’s clothing?! Grillby lifted up the sheets to check, sighing in relief when he caught sight of his clothing from yesterday. At least one thing still made sense.

Grillby looked around, noting the things of interest around Papyrus’ room: a bookshelf filled with large textbooks, a wall covered in blueprints, and a pirate flag for some reason. On his desk lay a pile of scattered papers and a surprising amount of models in various states of progress. He never considered Papyrus to be someone who would dabble in model-making, but he guessed maybe it was an engineer thing. 

A rustling sound took his attention away from the desk and he looked around, searching for the source of the noise. It was coming from somewhere on his left, but when he turned his head there was nothing, unless… He crawled over to the other side of the bed, looking over the edge for anything amiss. 

Sticking out from underneath the bed was a large white puff; a stuffed animal maybe? Grillby reached over to poke it softly with his finger, only to recoil back in horror as it squirmed. What the hell was that??

Making sure that his lower half was stable on the bed, Grillby reached down and grabbed the white object with both hands, dragging it onto the bed. As soon as he managed to get it all onto the bed, the object wiggled out of his arms, dropping onto the bed with a soft yip. Grillby watched curiously as its (body?) shook, turning around to look at him with beady, black eyes and a small snout. He chuckled to himself; it was just a dog. Grillby reached a hand out slowly, keeping eye contact with the dog as he patted its head. To his relief, the dog leaned into his touch, panting softly. 

He sat there for awhile giving it attention, first petting its head before moving to its back and even its belly when it rolled over. This must have been the dog that Papyrus kept running into, the infernal and annoying dog. Grillby examined it, taking in its relaxed demeanor and friendly face. “...Are you really the same dog that ate Papyrus’ phone?” Grillby asked, tickling its stomach. The dog barked in response, lolling its tongue out. 

Grillby sighed, petting the dog once more before bringing his arms up in a stretch. He dawdled around for long enough; it was time for him to get up and face the awkwardness. He got out of bed, grabbing the dog in his arms and leaving the room. 

The apartment was quiet when Grillby entered the hallway, and he would’ve thought that it was completely empty, but that thought was squashed when he heard sizzling sounds coming from the kitchen. Someone was home, but who? It could’ve been Papyrus, but it was just as likely to be one of his roommates. He crept over to the doorway, peeking in to see Alphys standing in front of the stove, tending to a pan of bacon. They made eye contact as she turned from the stove, and he raised his elbow in greeting. “...Morning.”

Alphys looked at him, then the dog, and then finally back to him again. “Good mo-morning. Uhm, where did you—sorry, where did you find that dog?”

“...It was halfway under Papyrus’ bed.” 

Alphys picked up a piece of cooked bacon from a plate beside the stove and dropped it on the floor. The dog, smelling the delicious treat, twisted out of Grillby’s hold and pounced on the food, chewing noisily as it went. After the last bite of bacon, the dog stood up, licking its chops before running in a small circle around Alphys. She laughed nervously, bending down to pet its back. “You know yo-you’re not supposed to be in he-here, silly dog. Go—go on, then.” It yipped happily, licking her fingers before darting out the door. 

“...That’s the same dog that Papyrus says terrorizes him, right?” Grillby asked, walking fully into the kitchen and leaning against the fridge. 

“Yeah.” Alphys laughed, going back to the stove. She picked up the spatula, flipping the bacon as she held the pan handle with her free hand. “We’re, um, not sure how bu-but somehow it keeps showing up—sorry, showing up in his room. I try to ma-make sure that it, like, doesn’t starve bu-but… It probably comes back be-because of that.”

“...Yeah, probably. At least it’s mostly friendly.”

“Heh, ye-yeah.”

The conversation ceased as the two stood in near-silence, interrupted every now and again by the pan sizzling. Grillby crossed his arms, digging into his conversation starter choices for something to say. He opened his mouth to start a topic at the same time that Alphys turned around.

“...Um—” “S-so-!”

Both of them stopped, staring at the other before erupting into small giggles. “Yo-you first,” Alphys said.

“...Uh, so what do you study here?” Grillby asked.

“Well, I’m wo-working on getting my PhD in bi-bionics.”

“...Oh yeah? How’s that going?”

“Slowly. I-i won’t bore you with the details bu-but it’s just—” Alphys cut herself off with a small wave in the air. “—something else.” She took the pan off the fire, sliding the rest of the bacon onto the plate. After pouring the grease into the sink (much to Grillby’s horror), she oiled the pan and picked up a bowl from the other counter. “Yo-you’re doing uhm--Material Science, right?”

Grillby pulled himself away from mourning the leftover grease to answer. “...Yeah, how did you—”

“Papyrus.”

“...Right.”

Alphys spooned some of the contents from the bowl into the pan, forming a small circular shape. After a few seconds, small bubbles began to appear on the surface and the scent of pancakes filled the air. “He talks a-about you, like, a lot,” Alphys piped up.

“...Both you and Undyne told me already.”

“Ri-right.” She suddenly turned to him, surprising Grillby as her eyes seemed to gaze right through him. “What do yo-you think of him?”

Grillby felt his face flare up as his flames shuddered. “...Uh, I’m not sure what you mean.” Deep down, he was sure he knew exactly what she was asking him, but he wasn’t going to admit it. Maybe she would drop the subject if he played dumb?

“Well, do yo-you like him?”  _ Fuck. _

“...Um.” Boy, was it getting warm in here or was it just him? He stuck his head out of the kitchen, checking to see if anyone else was in the apartment. As far as he could tell there was no one else except for him and Alphys but was he really about to tell her his innermost feelings? 

“It-it’s just us here.”

He nodded, moving to stand beside her. “...Promise what I say will stay between us?”

“O-of course! Us introverts have to, to stick to-together.” He just wanted to keep his feelings to himself forever, but there was just something about Alphys that made him feel comfortable, and before he knew it the words were tumbling out. 

“...Oh my god, I have no idea what happened but I can’t get Papyrus out of my head. There’s something about him that’s just so perfect, you know?” Alphys turned to deal with the pan but made a ‘mm’ sound to show she was still listening. “...Whenever I’m around him I can’t focus, all I can think of is how much I want to hold his hand and kiss his stupid mouth and just—sorry, this is probably too much, right?”

“No, um, yo-you’re fine,” Alphys squawked as she worked, removing a golden brown pancake from the pan to add to the growing pile off to the side. 

“...I like him, but I’m not sure if he likes me back so I don’t want to do anything drastic, you know?”

“Ye-yeah, I completely, like, understand. Undyne and I spent a-a-ages tiptoeing a-around each other because we didn’t, uh, know if the other felt the same.” 

“...How did you guys finally break the tension?”

Alphys paused, shifting her weight to one foot in thought. “Hmm...I-I’m not sure, actually. I remember a-accidentally uh, running into Undyne while she was—was, practicing in the music hall, but…Yeah, I do-don’t know. It sort of just—happened.”

“...Right.” Grillby ran his hands through his flames, smoothing them down with a sigh. “...I guess I’ll figure out what to do eventually.”

“That’s the, um, spirit!” Alphys said, patting Grillby awkwardly on the back. “I’m sure wha-whatever you figure out will wo-work perfectly!”

Grillby wanted to continue the conversation, but before he could he heard the sound of the front door opening and the boisterous voices of Papyrus and Undyne flooding the quiet apartment. He took a few, hurried steps away from Alphys, leaning back against the fridge right as Papyrus appeared in the door.

“HELLO ALPHYS! GRILLBY, HOW WAS YOUR SLEEP?” Papyrus boomed. 

“...It was fine. Sorry that I kicked you out of your own bed,” Grillby said, noting that Papyrus was wearing the same sort of workout clothes as in the picture of him and the large dog from before: matching track pants and jacket, gloves and a sweatband, though he wasn’t sure if skeletons could sweat. “...Did you see any dogs?” 

“IT’S OKAY—oh sorry, bad habit,” Papyrus apologized, lowering his voice when he saw Grillby wince slightly. “It’s okay, I wouldn’t let a guest sleep on the floor; that wouldn’t be very great of me at all! And unfortunately, I did not see a dog during our run.” 

“...Aw. Oh, speaking of which, I met the annoying dog you talked about today.”

“What?! That thing was here?” Papyrus asked incredulously. He looked to Alphys for confirmation, receiving an affirmative nod. “Undyne, it was here again! Why does this keep happening?”

Undyne stuck her head into the kitchen, pushing past Papyrus to hug Alphys from behind. She rested her head on Alphys’ shoulder, shrugging. “I dunno, maybe it likes ya?”

“...It  _ was _ under your bed when I found it,” Grillby added. 

“Probably looking for a perfect moment to steal my leg again!”

“...Maybe it just wants to play with you?”

“It should learn the proper way to ask to play; with cute dog eyes and begging,  _ not  _ by stealing my body parts,” Papyrus pouted.

“O-o-okay, well breakfast is ready, so let’s, um, e-eat?” 

After a bit of maneuvering around in the small kitchen space, all of them ended up back in the living room, picking various spots to sit and enjoy their breakfast. Alphys and Undyne cozied up on the couch together, talking to each other in whispered tones as Grillby and Papyrus sat on the floor in front of the table, far enough from each other to leave a gap between them. 

As it turned out, Alphys seemed to be the superior chef in the house, although Grillby wouldn't dare admit that to Papyrus. The pancakes were perfectly thin with just the right amount of fluff, and the bacon had been cooked so that it was slightly crispy, which happened to be his favorite way of eating it. 

When he was finished Grillby held his plate in front of him, trying to figure out what to do next. He wanted to offer to help clean up after breakfast, but he wasn't sure how to approach the subject. Could he offer to wash the dishes? They probably cleaned their dishes with water here though, and without knowing how fire-resistant their utensils were he was hesitant to try his method.

Undyne must’ve noticed his apprehension, because she quickly snatched his plate up and placed it on top of hers, doing the same with Papyrus’ and Alphys’ plates. “I'm gonna go wash this stuff, you figure out how to get the punk home,” She said, looking at Papyrus before walking to the kitchen, Alphys in tow. 

Grillby took out his phone and checked the weather. “... Actually, I can make it home on my own. The forecast is sunny, so I should be able to make it back without any issues.”

Papyrus turned to Grillby, expression uncertain. “Are you sure?”

“... Yeah, it's alright.”

“Okay, I'll at least help you get your stuff.”

Grillby picked up his bag from where he left it the night before, heading for the front door as Papyrus disappeared down the hall. He was halfway through putting his second shoe on when Papyrus came back with his jacket.

“...Thank you.” Grillby took it, pulling it on and slinging his bag over his shoulder. “... And thank you so much for letting me stay here, I really owe you one.”

Papyrus smiled. “You're welcome! It was really no trouble. Friends help each other out, right?”

“... Definitely,” Grillby answered, feeling the corners of his mouth edge up into a smile. He opened the door, waving at Papyrus one last time before making his way to his building. 

Once Grillby got back into his dorm, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number, setting it on the counter as he hung up his jacket in the closet.

The call connected after a few moments, and a soft, feminine voice answered. “ _ Hello?” _

“[Fuku help, I’m gay],” Grillby blurted out, losing all sense of modesty.

_ “...What?”  _

“[I’m gay, or bisexual—something, I don’t know. There’s this monster at my school that I really like and I can’t figure out how to ask him out. Please help me].”

Grillby heard a sigh from his sister over the phone. “ _ Ugh, hold on a sec,”  _ The sound of shuffling replaced her voice, and Grillby took the moment to relocate himself and the phone to his couch. As he situated himself in his favorite spot, a door slammed on the other end of the phone.  _ “Okay, I’m back. Now, what’s going on?” _

Grillby quickly recapped the past couple of weeks to Fuku. He started with the first time he met Papyrus, to the bizarre dinner date—er, hangout—with him and his brother, and finally ending with falling asleep on him the night before. “—[And then I ran home].”

“ _ First question: why are you asking me again? Why not ask like, you know, his friends? Roommates? People that know him better than I do? I don’t have time to help you with your awkward romantic troubles, I’m very busy, you know.” _

“[Please, high schoolers aren’t busy],” Grillby scoffed, smiling. “[Besides, neither of his roommates actually know how to do any of this romance stuff. Help me, you’re my only hope].”

“ _...What’s in it for me, brother dearest?”  _ Fuku asked, sweet sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

“[I’ll let you visit me over winter break so you can get away from mom and dad].”

“ _ Feed me and let me meet this mysterious ‘Papyrus’ and you have yourself a deal.” _

Grillby rolled his eyes. “[Fineeeeee].” He would’ve made the two of them meet whether she liked it or not, so this worked in his favor. 

“ _ Okay, you hopeless creature, you; get out your notes and start writing this down. I’m gonna make sure that you have this guy eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.” _


	11. Fuku's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby follows Fuku's advice.

Grillby went about enacting the first part of the plan on Monday after Statics class. When class let out he followed Papyrus out of the door, calling his name to get his attention.

“Yes, what’s up Grillby?” Papyrus asked, turning around to look back at him.

“...I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay over on Friday. You seem to always help me out, and I really appreciate it. I actually wanted to make it up to you somehow.”

“Oh? What did you have in mind?”

Grillby looked down, suddenly nervous. “...Well, I was thinking that maybe I could have you over for dinner this weekend? It’s after midterms so we probably won’t have too much work to do, and uh...I thought that maybe it would be nice since I’ve been at your place for dinner twice...or something like that?”

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for rejection.

“Sure!”

“...Huh?” Grillby snapped up to look at Papyrus. “...You want to?”

Papyrus grinned, placing his hands on his hips in a pose. “Of course! I think that it will be exciting to see your dorm, and I bet your cooking is fantastic--well, second to mine, but that’s a given.”

“...Right, right,” Grillby laughed as relief coursed through his body. Maybe this would all work out for him, after all? He pulled out his phone, scrolling to his text messages with Papyrus. “...I’m going to send you my address. Does seven pm on Saturday work for you?”

“It should, I can’t think of anything that I’m doing then.”

“...Yeah? Here I thought I’d have to fight for a timeslot in the Great Papyrus’ busy schedule.”

“While I _am_ usually rather busy, I always have time for you, Grillby!”

Grillby sputtered, the tips of his flames turning blue from embarrassment. How the heck was Papyrus so adorable?? He coughed, looking off to the side. “...There’s my building address I just sent you; it’s the upperclassmen dorm on the opposite side of campus from the cafe. Call me when you get there on Saturday and I’ll come down to the lobby to take you up.”

“Okay, sounds great, I’m really looking forward to it! I have to run to work now, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow in class.”

Grillby waved as Papyrus ran off, mentally checking off the task as completed. When Fuku first told him of her plan, he was quick to oppose it; it was just too obvious. There was no way that Papyrus would go along with just randomly being invited to dinner, but to his surprise, not only was Papyrus willing, he was _looking forward_ to it.

He placed a hand over his core in an attempt to slow down the frantic pace of his SOUL. If just asking Papyrus to dinner made him this nervous, how was he going to handle actually confessing?

* * *

As the rest of the week passed by, Grillby’s anxiety only grew as Saturday loomed closer. He tried to keep it cool during class, but seeing Papyrus’ face every day just kept reminding him of the fact that he was actually going to be in his dorm, in his room, eating food that he made for him and, if Grillby could actually get himself together, hearing his confession. It was kind of daunting, actually. God, did Fuku really believe that he could do this??

If Heats noticed he had been more jumpy than usual lately he didn't show it, which Grillby had been extremely thankful for. Maybe he thought that it was just pre-exam jitters, which did contribute a fair amount to his stress. Usually he loathed diving into his textbooks to prep for a test, but this time around he had been looking forward to the small pockets of studying he had set aside for the week. They were guaranteed times where Grillby was certain that he wouldn't be able to focus on his upcoming dinner plans: just him and chemistry, or material science, things that made sense. The scary part was that more than once he found himself wishing that exam season could just go on forever so he would never have to think about his romantic endeavors.

Eventually, midterms week came and went, and before he knew it he was waking up Saturday morning.

Grillby rolled out of bed, foregoing his usual breakfast routine and plucking a banana off of the counter, unwrapping it as he went to grab his phone. Usually, he liked to take his time on the weekends to sleep in and treat himself to a full meal, but as he was falling asleep last night he realized that he had never asked Papyrus what types of food he liked. Grillby probably could have just made whatever for him but Fuku had expressed the importance of making sure that he made the dinner as intimate as possible, and what was more intimate than eating your favorite food lovingly made by someone else?

He took a bite of the fruit as he fumbled to unlock his phone, feeling his magic graciously accept the sustenance. Hoping that Papyrus would respond quickly, Grillby sent him a message.

xx/xx/xx 8:13am   
_Hey, Papyrus I totally forgot to ask, but what's your favorite food?_

As expected, barely a minute passed before he received a reply.

xx/xx/xx 8:14am   
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON** :  
_HMM_  
_THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION_  
_I HAVE A STRONG AFFINITY FOR DINOSAUR OATMEAL_  
_IT'S HIGH IN PROTEIN AND HAS DELIGHTFUL EGG-LIKE SHAPES IN IT_  
_A PERFECT MEAL FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS NYEH HEH HEH  
HOW ABOUT YOURS?_

Grillby took another bite of the banana, frowning slightly. Oatmeal wasn't really a dinner item, but he didn't want to suggest that it was a bad choice or anything. Perhaps he could be a little more specific.

xx/xx/xx 8:16am   
_I like foods that are high in fat, so eggs are really nice and avocados when I can get them.  
_ _Anyway, I was asking more along the lines of what you would like to eat for dinner?_

xx/xx/xx 8:16am   
**THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON:**  
_OH_  
_I UNDERSTAND NOW_  
_IM HAPPY WITH ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE FOR DINNER_  
_IM NOT PICKY_  
_WELL_  
_NOTHING WITH BONES PREFERABLY_  
_AND NOT ANYTHING WITH TOO MUCH GREASE  
OR TOO UNHEALTHY_

xx/xx/xx 8:18am   
So…salad, I got it.  
_That was a joke, sorry. I’ll figure something out.  
_ It’ll be amazing, just you watch.

Grillby pocketed his phone with a sigh. _Amazing,_ he said. He might as well promise that it was going to be the best meal he’s ever had at this rate, god why did he always set up such high expectations for himself? What if he couldn’t meet them? The dinner would be ruined, and Papyrus would hate him and never talk to him again and Grillby’s SOUL would be broken without ever having actually known love and--

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in and out; it was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. He just had to figure out what he was going to make, go to the grocery store, get the ingredients, stress-clean his room, and then make dinner. Afterwards, Papyrus would come over, they would eat delicious food, he would be charming and cordial, and then when the mood was right, he would confess. It was foolproof, or at least Fuku said it was, and honestly, that was all he had right now, so he was going to take it.

Grillby finished off his breakfast, tossing the peel in his garbage can and quickly putting on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to go outside. After checking the weather forecast (sunny today, thankfully), Grillby shrugged on his jacket and grabbed everything he needed for a trip to the grocery store before leaving.

On his way Grillby tried to pick his brain for recipes he knew and liked, but nothing was jumping out at him as a good date option (even though it wasn’t a date _exactly_ , but he was trying to ask out Papyrus so he figured he should at least try to think along those lines). He didn’t want to make anything too weird, and it didn’t help that some of his family recipes were very...odd. Papyrus probably didn’t want to eat smoked logs or lightly seasoned coals.

When he reached his destination, Grillby decided to spend a little bit of time walking around the aisles. With luck, he could possibly find items that he knew a recipe for...or he could find something on sale and search the internet for a recipe. He was pretty good at following directions so it wasn’t an impossible task.

After wandering through the store several times, Grillby finally found the perfect food item to use: shrimp! They were always on the more exotic end of dinner for his family due to their availability and general preparation, and it fit all of Papyrus’ specifications: shrimp didn’t have any bones, they weren’t greasy, and if he recalled correctly they were healthy too.

He ended up grabbing some angel hair pasta to go along with it, and more olive oil since he couldn’t remember if he was running out or not. It would be a little terrifying to cook the pasta but it wouldn’t be the first time he dealt with a pot of boiling water, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last either.

Grillby headed back to his dorm room, immediately preparing himself for starting the process of defrosting the shrimp. He put on his water-resistant jacket, zipping it up so that his torso and arms were covered. Afterwards, he grabbed his gloves from underneath the kitchen sink, slipping them on one after another. He poured the frozen shrimp into the biggest bowl he had around and placed it in his open fridge, all ready for the last and hardest part of the entire thing, adding water.

_Come on, you can do this. For Papyrus._

Mentally steeling himself for the task ahead of him, Grillby unearthed his measuring cup from one of his cabinets and placed it under the faucet in the sink. His hands shook as he turned the knob, fighting the urge to run when water began to flow. He turned off the faucet when the cup was mostly full, heaving a sigh of relief as he reached in to grab it. He could do this, definitely.

Grillby went through the process several times, filling the cup until it was almost full and then pouring the contents into the bowl of shrimp. Once he had finished filling the bowl, he decided to use his momentum to pre-fill the pot he planned to use for the pasta. After he was done, Grillby stalked over to the couch, sitting down and taking off his gloves and jacket. He checked the time, noting that it was only around ten o’clock. He still had to clean, but he couldn’t see it taking more than an hour, tops, and he had almost eight hours to spare before he had to start cooking.

“...Okay, let’s do this.”

* * *

It took less than an hour for him to straighten up his room, and he used the rest of the time brushing up on how to cook Shrimp Scampi, trying (and failing) to nap, and eventually just passing the hours watching television.

At around five thirty, Grillby finally extracted himself from the couch and went about executing the next part of Fuku’s plan: the date outfit. She told him that it had to be the perfect blend of casual yet still fashionable, which he didn’t quite understand, but after showing her his closet on webcam she picked out a few clothes for him to wear. She decided a gray t-shirt layered with one of his black button-ups for a top, and his nicest pair of dark jeans to go with it. It was, according to Fuku, ‘very very important’ that he left his shirt unbuttoned, so he decided to heed her instructions as he got dressed.

He looked into his mirror, examining himself from multiple angles. He didn’t look...bad, just different from how he usually dressed. Hopefully, Papyrus would like it.

A gentle chiming sound disturbed the silence from the couch: his phone. Grillby walked over and picked it up, checking the screen to see who was calling him.

**Calling: THE GREAT PAPYRUS SKELETON**

Grillby stared at his phone, confused. Why was Papyrus calling him so early? It was only six. He connected the call, putting his ear to the phone.

“...Hello?”

Papyrus’ cheerful voice came through the phone. “ _Grillby, hello! I am downstairs!_ ”

“...What? Did I tell you six or seven, I can’t remember.”

“ _Seven o’clock. I’m here early, of course. Being at least an hour early is the sign of a perfect dinner guest, and I refuse to be anything less than spectacular!”_

Grillby sighed, bringing his hands to his face. When he visited Papyrus for the first time, he had said something similar then.

“...I’ll be right down.” He hung up the phone, grabbed his keys off the counter and went downstairs.

He instantly spotted Papyrus once he got down into the lobby, and he had to stop himself from fainting right there on the spot, because Papyrus, his dear friend and crush, was wearing a fucking _skirt._ Grillby whispered a quick prayer to the heavens for granting him his ultimate wish as he went to let Papyrus in, attempting to ogle the other without being too obvious. Long, thin legging-clad legs led up to a dark red skirt, short and pleated as if it were a uniform. On top, a cream-colored sweater, very similar to the dress he wore before. Cable knit patterns adorned the loosely-fitting sweater, giving it an overall soft and feminine feel. It was...very nice.

“...Hey, you look great,” Grillby greeted, leading him towards the elevator.

“You too! Very fresh and casual.” A dusting of orange overtook Papyrus’ face as he looked away bashfully, tugging on the sleeve of his sweater. “This wasn't too much, was it? I wanted to make sure I looked nice, but maybe I overdid it...”

 _Fucking adorable._ “...No no, you’re fine,” Grillby reassured him, flashing an open mouth smile. Papyrus returned it with a smile of his own, and they stepped into the elevator together. The doors slid closed as Grillby pressed the button for his floor, enclosing the two of them in.

“...I’m curious though; sometimes you wear dresses and sometimes you don’t. Do you have a general rule for it?”

“I do!” Papyrus exclaimed. “I usually wear masculine clothing during the week, and more feminine thing on weekends and breaks.”

“...I don’t really understand, but do what makes you happy right?”

“You don’t think it’s weird?”

‘ _It’s actually the most precious thing I’ve ever seen in my life and I love you,’_ is what Grillby really wanted to say, but instead, he settled for a small shrug. “...It’s something that makes you--well, you. Very unique.”

The elevator dinged, opening to the floor and saving Grillby from any further chance of embarrassing himself. He stepped out first, leading Papyrus down the hall to his room.

“...Well, here we are.”

Papyrus stepped through the threshold, gazing around the room in wonder. Grillby closed the door behind them, deciding to start on dinner and leave Papyrus to his wandering. He was pretty sure he got rid of or hid anything that could possibly be awkward, and just to cover all of his bases he even deleted his internet history earlier. While he was sure Papyrus wouldn't go as far as to snooping around his laptop, Grillby really didn't want to explain his sudden interest in bone structure and skeleton anatomy.

He watched Papyrus out of the corner of his eye as he turned on the stove, feeling his flames grow hotter the more he looked at him. Papyrus really was looking fantastic today, and Grillby couldn't help but imagine a near future where he was able to hold hands with him, to hug into his side as they cuddled on a couch, to press his mouth against Papyrus’ hungrily as they clutched each other through their clothing, desperate to get closer to each other--okay, he should stop that train of thought right there before he got in trouble. He might have been getting a bit ahead of himself but he definitely saw himself dating Papyrus. He wanted to, so he definitely had to work hard in order to make this a success.

“Grillby, what's this?”

Grillby walked over to where Papyrus was standing, finding him in front of the small bookshelf near his television. In his hand was the small snowman he had made over break.

“... Remember when I went to the lab to work on art? That's what I ended up making.”

“Wowie, you made this?! It's so cute!” Papyrus squealed, eye lights twinkling. He brought the figure closer to his face, turning it around carefully in his hands to examine the construction. “It's so well-crafted, and the connections are so smooth; I can tell that you really take a lot of pride in your art.”

Grillby’s stomach felt as if a thousand butterflies had decided to take up residence there, and his face flushed bright blue from all the praise. “...I...um...” He stuttered, looking down at Papyrus’ socks and brushing a hand through his flames nervously. “... It's not that big of a deal.”

“Nonsense, it's superior work! You have a real knack for this, Grillby.”

“...Uh--” The sound of water bubbling broke Grillby out of his trance-- “... _ihavetogotendtothatsorry.”_

He rushed over to the pot, keeping a wide berth around the perimeter of the stove as he fished in his shopping bag for the box of angel hair pasta. His stomach was still doing flip-flops from the praise, and he took a deep breath to try and call himself. Why was it that a few words of praise affected him so strongly?

While he was slowly going through the process of feeding the pasta into the pot, he heard Papyrus shuffle towards the counter, and then the grating sound of the stool being pulled out from under it. Grillby turned around to see Papyrus relaxing at the counter, still looking at the small snowman in his hands. He turned back to his task with a small smile, pouring in a tiny bit of olive oil and salt into the pot before placing the lid on it.

Looking back at Papyrus, Grillby figured it would make more sense to sit down with him instead of standing around, so he pulled the other stool over to his side of the counter and sat down on it.

“...So you really like it, huh?” he asked, gesturing to the figure lazily as he rested his head against his hand.

“I think it's simply fantastic! Do you do art like this often?”

Grillby sighed. “... Not as often as I'd like. If it was up to me I'd do this all the time, but school and studying, you know.”

“You could be an art major?” Papyrus suggested.

“... Not an option.”

“Oh. Well, at least consider indulging in your interests more; I'd love to see more from you.”

“... I did want to work on a bigger project in my free time next semester, but I haven't figured out what yet. Do you have any suggestions?”

Papyrus crossed his arms over his chest as he thought. “Something that you really like, maybe your favorite thing?”

“... Favorite thing, huh?” What did Grillby really like? He liked...being warm? Making art? Sleeping?

 _Papyrus,_ his brain supplied unhelpfully. He couldn't possibly do an art project around Papyrus.

Could he?

No no no, that was too weird, too creepy. Sure he liked Papyrus, a lot. And yeah, maybe he was a pretty attractive skeleton. A metal sculpture of his skull might look really, really cool. The angles of his cheekbones and dips in the front of his skull might be a bit of a pain to replicate, but Grillby was sure it would look fantastic. He would need to cut the sheet metal into smaller pieces to get all the details, but the riveting to connect them together might actually enhance the piece instead of detracting. Wait, where he going with this again?

Oh, that's right: it was weird to make art of some monster you were crushing on!

“... I'll figure it out,” Grillby said, scooting away from the table and standing.

Grillby felt Papyrus’ eyes on him as he went to prep and cook the rest of the dinner. He thought it would be stressful having someone else watch him, but it was surprisingly comforting. Cooking the shrimp took much faster than he thought it would, and after about 15 minutes he was all done with dinner. Another part of Operation: Ask the skeleton out was done…and now he was getting much closer to the ‘asking out’ part of the plan. Oh boy, he was not emotionally ready for this.

Putting it temporarily to the back of his mind, Grillby carried the plates over to the counter, setting one in front of Papyrus. “... I just realized that all I have to drink is alcohol, is that alright?”

“Hmm, Sans might not approve… Oh, who am I kidding, he would absolutely approve, so sure!” Papyrus laughed.

Grillby nodded, going into the cabinet to procure glasses and setting them down. Next, he crouched down to look one of the lower cabinets where he stored his supply of alcohol, picking out a type that he remembered went well with shrimp. On a whim he also grabbed the container of lighter fluid he stashed there as well; maybe he could benefit from a little bit of liquid courage. He poured them into their separate glasses, making sure to put ice in Papyrus’ and brought them both back to the table.

“... Let's eat?”

Both of them dug into the meal, sighing almost in unison as they took the first bite.

“Grillby, this is fantastic!” Papyrus exclaimed.

Grillby smiled, allowing his flames to flicker a bit stronger from the praise. “... Thanks. It's my first time cooking it so I'm glad it came out well.”

They continued to eat dinner and drink, chatting about various topics and interests. At some point, Grillby brought up his rock climbing interests, which surprised Papyrus greatly.

“You rock climb?!”

“...Not outside or anything. I usually just go to the gym we have on campus and climb a little.”

“That's really interesting, I didn't know you did anything like that!”

“...There's a lot you don't know about me. Wow, that came out weird.”

“Oh my gosh, you're so edgy!” Papyrus breathed out between giggles.

Grillby joined in on the laughter, small snaps and crackles coming out as he covered his face in shame. “... I'm way too much of a nerd to be edgy.” He took a second to recover himself before he continued. “...Really though, you should come with me someday. It'll be refreshing to have someone else to climb with.”

“Don't you go with Heats sometimes?”

“... I do, but because he's so light I can't actually climb _with_ him. I have to still use the automated system when I go with him, and it really limits which trails--er, paths I can try.”

“That makes sense that he's too light, being a flame elemental and all, nyeh heh.”

“...I...did you just…are you drunk?”

Papyrus waved his hand. “Noooo, definitely not drunk. Slightly tipsy, maybe, but not drunk. You?”

Grillby peered into his empty glass. “...Mmmm, not sure. What do you think?”

Papyrus focused on him. “Your flames are bigger, but you don't seem any different.”

He nodded along with the observation, agreeing with Papyrus’ deductions. It was true that he didn't feel impaired or anything, and also definitely didn't feel like confessing yet, so still one hundred percent sober.

As if sensing his thoughts, Grillby’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to check the notification, seeing that it was a new message from his sister.

xx/xx/xx 7:27pm   
**Nerd** :  
_How’s dte? U kssu yet?_

“[Oh my god, Fuku why],” Grillby sighed in Firespeak, pocketing his phone. “... My sister,” he added to Papyrus.

“Oh, what did she say?”

Grillby changed the subject quickly. “...Nevermind that. Want to hang out and watch something?”

Papyrus perked up, nearly bouncing in his seat. “Yes, I’d love to hang out more!”

“...Awesome, let me just put this stuff in the sink for later. Do you want more to drink?”

“Hmm, sure, why not?”

Grillby cleared the table of the plates while Papyrus went over to the couch, placing them on the counter beside the sink so that he would remember to burn them clean later. He stole a glance at Papyrus, feeling his flames flicker happily; this plan really was turning out to be a great idea. Dinner came out well, Papyrus looked like he was enjoying himself, and the general atmosphere was very positive and energetic. Maybe the close proximity on the couch will finally encourage him to make a move?

Just in case that didn’t work, he poured himself another glass of lighter fluid.

He made his way over to the couch, taking a seat beside Papyrus and passing him his drink. Picking up the remote with his free hand, Grillby turned on the television, navigating to the streaming service he had set up. “...Got anything in particular you want to watch?”

Papyrus leaned back into the cushions, taking a long sip as he contemplated his options. “Not horror,” He decided.

“...That leaves everything else,” Grillby chuckled.

“Well, do you have any suggestions, Mr. Hot flaming man?”

Grillby blushed at the nickname, taking a quick sip of his drink to try and hide it. He knew Papyrus probably didn’t mean anything suggestive from it, but just the thought of Papyrus calling him hot made his SOUL flutter.

Suddenly, Grillby figured out how to take advantage of this deviation from Fuku’s plan. “...I do have a suggestion, actually.” He navigated to one of his guilty pleasure movies, allowing the information come up on the screen for Papyrus to read.

“‘ _Ridiculous Love Story?’_ ”

“...It’s a rom-com about a guy trying to win back the love of his life by going on this elaborate scavenger hunt around the world. I watched it with my sister once and it was possibly the cheesiest movie I had ever seen.”

“I don’t know, I’ve seen some cheesy movies.”

“...I promise you, this is the worst. It’s so bad you’ll just want to skip over half the movie just to escape the second-hand embarrassment.”

Papyrus turned to look at him, and Grillby swore he saw a quick spark in his eye sockets as he clenched a fist in front of him. “The Great Papyrus doesn’t back down from a challenge, so let’s do it!” Grillby bumped his fist to Papyrus’, sealing the imaginary pact and clicking play.

The movie was just as bad as Grillby remembered. The main character was earnest, but oblivious as hell and missed every single cue of his mate being upset until she gave him the ultimatum: solve her clues and find her in thirty days or they were through, forever. Even though the movie was objectively bad, both Grillby and Papyrus ended up entranced by the movie after half an hour passed, taking turns criticizing the main character’s actions and laughing at his overall awkwardness.

As the movie progressed they both ended up cheering on the guy as he traveled the world, getting more and more pumped up at his successes, and not noticing that they were gravitating slightly closer to each other as time went on.

“...Oh my god,” Grillby said, tapping Papyrus on the shoulder. “...This is literally the best part of the movie.”

The two of them watched as the plot went from passable to awkward in the span of a few minutes. Papyrus groaned loudly, just about collapsing over. “Oh my god, I thought I would be able to handle it, but I have been thwarted! How is the main character like this?? I can’t do it!!”

Grillby laughed loudly, holding his stomach as his body jostled from the action. “...No way, you have to watch it all the way through, it’s the best part!”

“Grillbyyyyyyyy, have mercy on me!!” Papyrus reached for the remote in Grillby’s hand. “I’ll just skip over this one part, promise!”

Grillby leaned away from Papyrus, holding the remote out of his reach while still laughing. “...Uh uh.”

Papyrus struggled to reach for the remote, just about attempting to climb over Grillby to get some leverage, but just as he was getting somewhere Grillby stuck his leg out to stop him. Their impromptu wrestling came to a head when a peculiar thing happened: somehow Papyrus managed to get his leg over Grillby’s makeshift leg shield, but before he could celebrate, he slipped.

It all happened so fast; one moment they were an arm's length apart, and then the next Papyrus was falling on him.

Grillby closed his eyes as he braced for impact, but thankfully it never came. He opened them a smidge, nearly shouting in surprise when Papyrus’ face was suddenly _way too close to his._

“Whew, that was close, are you okay?” Papyrus asked, eye lights searching Grillby’s face as he hovered over him.

Grillby stared back, opening his mouth to reply but only small crackling sounds came out,  his senses overloaded with everything that was happening. Papyrus was right there, so close, right on top of him. Their legs were tangled together from the fall, forcing their hips to touch. Papyrus seemed to finally notice their predicament as he tried to shift off of Grillby, only to fail and push their bodies closer together.

“...Ah, Papyrus…” Grillby groaned softly, mouth parted and head floating from the sensations. Papyrus’ cheeks were completely covered in an orange blush, and he knew that his face probably looked similar. His skull was so close, it would be so easy for Grillby to raise his head up a few inches and close the distance. He wanted to, he wanted to so fucking bad, but he couldn’t move. Kiss. him. Do it, you coward.

Papyrus’ eyes flickered from Grillby’s eyes to his mouth and back again as he gulped. “Grillby, I…”

“...Yeah?” Grillby whispered.

“I...I should leave, it’s getting late.”

The intimate moment passed, plunging Grillby back into reality like a gust of cold air. “...Y-yeah, you’re right. It’s getting super late, right?”

“Yeah,” Papyrus replied, quickly extracting himself from Grillby and standing up, smoothing down his clothing. “This was a great hangout session, I had a lot of fun.”

“...It was.”

“Yeah, so I’ll see you on Monday?” Papyrus called over his shoulder as he rushed to the door and slipped on his boots. “Elevator is to the…?”

“...The left,” Grillby said.

“Of course, how silly of me, the left! Okay, I’ll see you later!”

The door opened and closed, quickly bathing the room in a layer of lingering awkwardness and fading sexual tension. The movie had ended some time ago, and pop-like ending music floated through the speakers, only adding to Grillby’s misery. He was still frozen on the couch, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. They were so close, Papyrus was so close to him...and he blew it. Good. Great. Perfect.

He dug his palms into his face, sighing loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have literally been waiting for this chapter since the beginning of plotting, and Carly Rae Jepsen's 'I really like you' has been the fucking driving force of the last scene since before I started writing hahaha
> 
> ALSO! LOOK. AT. THIS. ART. I commissioned! [HERE ](https://modambrosia.tumblr.com/post/176483429921/thank-you-sesurescue-for-commissioning-me-this) (Tumblr is nsfw)


	12. Enter Swirlby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby has a chat with an old friend.

‘Awkward’ would be the best way that Grillby knew how to describe the last couple of days, but it was getting to the point where he knew he needed to find a stronger word. 

Awkward, to him, was like accidentally stepping in the same direction as someone else when trying to cross paths. Awkward was waving to someone, only to find out they were waving at someone else. Awkward was being at a huge family dinner where he didn't like the food, but couldn’t find a trash can nearby to discreetly dispose of the evidence without making a scene. 

This, this was just awful. 

Saturday had been fun. He and Papyrus had dinner, hung out, watched bad movies: all things that should’ve contributed to a successful hangout/date. But then… But then he fucking ruined it, didn't he? Papyrus had looked so vulnerable back then: cheeks flushed, eye lights hazy, sweater billowing down just enough for him to get a peek at Papyrus' collarbone (he still wasn't quite sure why that of all things had aroused him but it did), and so close, so very close to him. 

If he hadn't been such a coward, he could've eliminated the small difference between them and kissed Papyrus.

Sure, they would've had to have a long, sober conversation about their relationship afterward (if Papyrus even wanted to be in a relationship), but it would've been better than…whatever this was. This lingering tension that wouldn't leave whenever they were near each other. This weird and awkward-yet-worse-than-awkward feeling he had. 

It was Wednesday and Grillby sat in statics class, staring blankly at the lecture slides and giving up all pretense of trying to focus. Heats sat to his right, halfway asleep in his chair, and to the left, Papyrus: leg jiggling and pencil tapping against his jaw as he looked down at his notebook. 

His energy felt different than usual, had been feeling different since their encounter on Saturday. It was slightly more frantic, with an undertone of anxiety that kept his bones tense, as if he was constantly getting ready to make a hasty retreat. The only reason Grillby could pinpoint it exactly was that he was feeling similar, antsy and nervous. While he wanted to be so much closer to Papyrus he was scared, afraid of what could happen to them. 

Would this be the catalyst that ended their friendship and completely ruined his chances at dating Papyrus? 

“-llby? Hey, Grillby, are you listening?”

“... Huh?” Grillby snapped to, turning at the sound of Papyrus’ voice. 

Papyrus stood in front of him, bookbag in hand. “There you are! I was worried that we lost you,” Papyrus chirped. “Class is finished.”

Grillby looked around, noting the monsters slowly emptying out of the classroom. “...Oh, right.”

After gently rousing Heats from his deep slumber, the three of them exited the room as well. As soon as they were out the door Heats separated from them, eyes flickering between the two of curiously before he left. Grillby sighed; it seemed that even Heats had noticed the tension between them.

“...Is today a work day for you?” He asked Papyrus. 

“Yes! Are you going to head to the cafe with me?”

“...Uhm…sure, why not.” Grillby shrugged. It’s not like he had anything better to do today, and maybe coffee would help drown out the depression. 

Papyrus smiled. “Perfect! Why don’t you go on ahead? I’m going to grab some water and then I’ll catch up.”

“...Okay.”

Grillby headed for the front door, bracing himself against the harsh bite of the cold air hitting him. Pulling his scarf over his face, Grillby stood outside the building, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in a small dance to generate heat. 

“Grillby~?”

Grillby glanced up at the mention of his name, fiery brows furrowing in confusion. Didn’t he know that voice? 

Out of the corner of his eye, Grillby caught sight of a familiar fire elemental running towards him, tall and lean, with a pair of swirl glasses on his face. He had just enough time to brace himself as the monster flung himself at Grillby, causing him to drop his bag as he caught the giggling fire elemental. 

“...Swirlby??” He asked, not believing his eyes. 

“Grillby dear~! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” The elemental, Swirlby, said, wrapping his arms around Griilby’s neck. “How have you been~?”

Feeling his arms start to shake from exertion, Grillby coaxed Swirlby out of his arms to the ground. “...I’ve been okay, how about you?”

A small cough interrupted Swirlby before he could answer as Papyrus jogged over to them. He looked between the two of them, tilting his head in confusion. “A twin?”

“Ahaha~ Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been mistaken for twins,” Swirlby laughed. 

Grillby gestured towards Swirlby. “...This is my friend, Swirlby. I might have mentioned him once or twice. He’s the one that created the espresso machine at the cafe.” He then turned to Swirlby. “...This is my friend and the monster who replaced you at the cafe, Papyrus.”

The two of them shook hands, exchanging brief pleasantries with each other. Grillby glanced down at his phone while they chatted, remembering that Papyrus had a shift after class today. “Hey Papyrus, don’t you have to head to work? Maybe Swirlby can come with us?”

“I would love to go to the cafe again~!” Swirlby agreed.

Papyrus nodded with a smile. “Sounds like a plan!”

As the three of them began to walk towards the coffee shop, Swirlby suddenly wrapped his arm around Grillby’s hip, leaning in close and slipping seamlessly into their native tongue. “[Wow, he’s a cutie. Are you fucking him?]”

Grillby blushed profusely, shaking his head. “[What? No, of course not!]” 

“[Hmm.]” Swirlby stared at him, studying his face. Grillby tried to stare back, but the hypnotic swirls of Swirlby’s glasses were making him nervous. After a moment, Swirlby spoke again. “[You’re not telling the whole truth, are you? I expect a full story once we get to the coffee shop, dearie].”

Swirlby pulled away from him with a wink, allowing him to take a much-needed breath. God, he forgot how observant Swirlby was. 

“So, Papyrus, how has the shop been~?” Swirlby asked, switching back to Common.

Papyrus brought a hand up to his chin in thought. “I’m not sure how it was before I started working there, but it seems fine. You worked there before I did, right? Why did you leave?”

“I was off campus studying last term~.”

“...Wait, really?” Grillby asked, surprised. Studying somewhere else for a term was a choice that students did in their junior and senior year, but Grillby had no idea that Swirlby would actually choose to do it. “... How was it?”

“Wonderful! I was able to see a lot of fantastic natural rock formations,” Swirlby sighed happily, clasping his hands together. “I won't bore you with all the details but it was truly a geologist’s wet dream come true~”

“An odd way to phrase it, but I'm glad you had fun!” Papyrus remarked. 

Grillby allowed himself to fall into idle conversation, listening to Swirlby talk and letting his anxious feelings about Papyrus float to the back of his mind for later. He learned that despite asking for a single room last year before he left, Swirlby had been placed in a two-person dorm with another skeleton who slept all day and skipped his classes frequently. Grillby had been surprised to hear that other skeleton monsters resided on campus, but Papyrus wasn't too caught off guard. 

“There are a few of us milling about, but I've only seen them in passing.” He said, shrugging. 

When they reached the Cafe, Swirlby instantly went to greet Reddi at the counter, leaving Papyrus and Grillby alone in the doorway. Grillby turned to him, apologetic. “... Sorry, he's a bit lively.”

“That's okay. I think he's really nice and seems to like you a lot.”

“...I guess…” Grillby trailed off, looking away as an awkward atmosphere settled between them. “... Um, I'm gonna sit over there…”

“U-uh, right!” Papyrus stammered, rubbing the back of his skull. “I'm going to go get ready for my shift! I hope you have fun catching up!”

He watched Papyrus run off towards the back before heading over to his favorite table, taking the seat beside the window as he waited for Swirlby. His thoughts drifted to Papyrus yet again: his smile, his bones, his adorable outfits, and unfortunately, how awkward it was between them. How was he supposed to salvage this when he was too terrified to actually talk about it?

Swirlby came back to the table before his thoughts could drift too far, sliding a mug over in front of him. “Made it myself~,” He chimed. 

Grillby picked up the cup, taking a tentative sip. The tangy flavor of coffee beans mixed with the rough taste of alcohol hit his senses in a way he hadn’t known for months. This was definitely the superior craftsmanship of a fire elemental all right. He took a longer sip, letting the liquid sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing to appreciate the flavor. “[God, I missed this],” He sighed wistfully, smiling at Swirlby. “[Thank you.]”

Swirlby returned his smile with a large, jagged one of his own. “[The newbie hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet?]”

Grillby shook his head. “[It’s passable, but it’s just not at your level yet.]”

“[Give him time, he’ll get it; especially with you guiding him in the right direction. Speaking of which--]” Swirlby scooted his chair over to the same side of the table, hooking his arm in underneath Grillby’s-- “[What’s the deal with you and Mr. Tall, White, and Boney]?”

“[Oh my god,]” Grillby snorted, covering his mouth with his free arm to stifle his giggles. “[What kind of name is that?]”

“[A good one! Now seriously, what’s the deal?]” 

“[Well, where should I start?]”

“[The beginning might be nice?]” Swirlby deadpanned.

“[Okay, okay.]” Grillby took a long sip of his coffee, mentally preparing himself. “[So, I met him here, right there at that counter. He actually really freaked me out to the point that I was planning on never coming back.]”

“[Oh my gosh, really?]”

“[Yeah, he was loud and very extroverted, a little too much for me.]” Grillby laughed. “[But you know how I am, stubborn and can’t study without coffee.]”

“[It really is a wonder how you were able to function before you came to college, honestly. You consume coffee during finals week like you need it to breathe.]”

“[Well that’s what happens when your family forces you to get perfect grades in order to keep your major-- Sorry, I guess you understand that with your scholarship.]” Grillby apologized to Swirlby, who shrugged in response. “[Anyway, I came back and it was much better. He made some idle conversation with me and really tried to apologize in his own way for our first meeting. He was...really interesting, you know. Charming.]”

Grillby went to cover his face with his hands to hide the blush he knew was coming, but Swirlby intercepted him. “[Oh no you don’t, cutie. You better not hide that adorable blush of yours.]”

He sighed, flames burning slightly hotter. “[It’s embarrassing.]”

“[There nothing embarrassing about your feelings!]” Swirlby chastised. “[Now then, continue.]”

“[Uh...oh. So that all happened before the end of the term. During break, I met his brother.]”

“[Really?]”

“[Yeah, and then they invited me to dinner.]”

Swirlby exhaled slowly, letting small sparks escape from his mouth. “[Oh my god, how about that.]”

“[Right? So I freak out about what to wear to this dinner with him and his  _ brother  _ and I just, I dunno. I wore that sweater Fuku got me, the one you hate.]”

“[I don’t  _ hate  _ it, I just think it’s tacky.]”

“[Well both Papyrus and his brother liked it.]” Grillby responded smugly. 

Swirlby pulled away slightly to look at the counter. “[I can see why, that sweater is atrocious,]” he said, turning back to Grillby and resting his head on his hand. 

“[Hey, be nice. Anyway, we exchanged phone numbers--]”

“[You mean you didn’t before?]” Swirlby interrupted.

“[No, we didn’t.]” Grillby heard him mumble a quiet ‘ _ what the fuck’  _ under his breath, but decided to ignore it. “[So we started texting over break and I learned a lot about him. Did you know he runs every day at 5 am? It’s crazy. We lost contact for a bit near the end of break because of a dog eating his phone and taking his leg, but--]”

“[Eating his phone?]”

Grillby nodded. “[He got a new one so it’s okay. So term begins and I learn that we’re in the same class together, go figure. He pitched the idea of working on homework together to me and Heats, but Heats declined so it ended up being just the two of us--]”

“[You still hang out with that guy?]”

“[Oh my god, just because you don’t get along with him doesn’t mean I don’t,]” Grillby said stiffly. “[And stop interrupting me, damn. So Heats, the guy I still hang out with even if you hate him because I  _ am  _ allowed to have other friends contrary to popular belief, made me realize that I was feeling something more for Papyrus than just normal friendship. I wanted to deny it, but after we had a homework session together, I realized that I was in too deep.]”

He stopped to take a drink, glancing over at the counter to look at Papyrus. He was handing a large milkshake over to a dog couple at the front, and as he pulled back the two of them made eye contact. Grillby’s flames shot up, flickering wildly as he tossed out a wave before averting his eyes again. 

Swirlby watched the exchange with an amused flicker. “[God, you two are just so precious.]”

Grillby made a face at him. “[Shush or I won’t tell you the rest of the story.]”

“[What? Noooo,]” Swirlby cried. “[Tell me the rest!]”

“[Fine, fine. So a little after our first homework session I ended up at the cafe one night to study for midterms, but it ended up randomly raining.]”

Swirlby let out a disgusted sound. “[Ugh, I think I remember that night. Simply awful.]”

“[Right? So Papyrus fucking took off his sweater for me to cover my head because I forgot my umbrella. I ended up staying the night at his house--]”

“[No!]”

“[Yeah. Not in the same bed, of course,]” He added hastily. “[When I got home the next day I called Fuku asking for advice, because out of everyone I know she probably has the best advice.]”

“[Wow, I am shocked and appalled.]”

“[I didn’t even know you were here until literally less than an hour ago? Anyway, Fuku came up with this plan for me to invite Papyrus to dinner and basically to confess to him.]”

Swirlby picked up his mug and took a sip, only to spit it back out. “[Gross, it’s all cold. Sorry dear, didn’t mean to interrupt. How did that end up going?]”

Grillby looked down at the table. “[Well, we got tipsy and watched a shitty rom-com. I thought it would set a good atmosphere for me to confess, but instead Papyrus fell on me anime-style and--]” He covered his face with his hands, sighing loudly. “[God, Swirlby, he was  _ right there _ . If I just moved the tiniest bit we could’ve kissed, but I hesitated. I hesitated and the mood turned awkward and now it’s still awkward and just--]”

Swirlby patted Grillby on the shoulder. “[I understand, dear. It’s stressful and hard, but honestly you should just go for it. You like him, and you’re adorable so he probably likes you back. Just smooch him, it’s not like you haven’t done it before, right?]” Grillby looked up from his hands for a second to shake his head, despair written across his face. “[Oh my god, you’ve never kissed anyone!]” Swirlby cackled, holding his stomach.

“Hey guys!” Papyrus waved as he walked over, tray in hand. He glanced between the two of them with a tilt to his head. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Dearie, Listen to this--!” 

Grillby slapped a hand over Swirlby’s mouth, chuckling nervously, “...You’re fine. What do you have there?” He asked, gesturing to the tray.

“Oh! Um, well we had extra pastries around, and Reddi suggested that I bring them over and ask if you guys wanted any? They’re chocolate croissants.”

“...Sure, I’d love one, and I guess you can leave one for this guy too. Thank you, Papyrus.”

Papyrus set out a few napkins on the table and placed the croissants on top of them. When he was done he straightened up and beamed down at them, a slight blush on his face. “Hope you enjoy!”

Grillby waited for Papyrus to get a good distance away before removing his hand from Swirlby’s mouth, wiping it on the other’s shirt before picking up one of the pastries and biting into it. “[God, these are so good.]”

“[Grillby, stop stuffing your face, we have to talk strategy.]” Swirlby said, pulling Grillby’s hand away. 

“[Strategy? What strategy? I’m ruined, this potential relationship can’t be salvaged. Just let me eat this in peace.]” He tried raising the croissant to his mouth again, but Swirlby stopped him. 

“[I have a plan to get you guys together,]” Swirlby said happily.

“[Honestly? I’m not really down for more plans right now after Fuku's went so badly.]”

“[All offense Grillby, but your sister is like 12 and that plan was flawed at best. While it might've worked for her, it just doesn't match your personality. It was doomed from conception.]”

“[She's sixteen,]” Grillby said. “[Also what do you mean my personality?]”

“[You're not suited to taking action. You're very passive and anxious, like a Whimsun. No offense.]”

“[I'm taking offense.]”

“[Anyway, having you confess was a terrible idea, so that's why we'll execute my plan.]”

“[Do we have to?]” Grillby whined. 

“[I am the expert of dating advice and you need me. How many monsters do you think I've been able to successfully seduce in the last month?]”

“[I really don't want to think about that.]” 

“[well, it’s--]”

Grillby put his hand up. “[seriously, please don't tell me.]”

“[My  _ point--] _ ” Swirlby emphasized-- “[Is that I will make sure you two get together.]”

“[Will you at least tell me what the plan is?]”

“[Pfft, no. That ruins the plan. All you need to do is sit pretty and by the end of the night your mouth will be all over his.]”

Grillby had a bad feeling about this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked me at the beginning of this fic if I planned on bringing the AU skeletons into the mix. I did some soul searching and skipped some rocks and realized, 'holy shit a swap!papby university!au, I could be behind that'. I'm still in the super duper beginning stages of planning (since I'd rather make sure I have the rest of this fic plotted out, nevermind another one ahahah), but I think I might try to do it <3


	13. SO WHEN DOES PAPYRUS GET TO SMOOCH THE HOTTIE?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE GREAT (AND FANTASTIC) PAPYRUS THOUGHT HE HAD EVERYTHING FIGURED OUT TO WIN THE AFFECTIONS OF HIS CRUSH, BUT WITH THE APPEARANCE OF A NEW FIRE ELEMENTAL HE WASNT SO SURE ANYMORE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, another Papyrus POV!

Saturday was supposed to be the day where Papyrus finally asked Grillby out; he had extensively planned out every detail, accounted for multiple scenarios, and even asked Undyne and Alphys to help him pick out the perfect date outfit. He had been worried they would choose an outfit that was too strong and imposing for Grillby, but the way he looked at Papyrus the first time, and the entire night, confirmed to him that they did a good job.

The beginning of the date was wonderful, exceeding all of Papyrus’ standards; the food was fantastic, the atmosphere was perfect, and Grillby was as charming as ever. He had set himself up successfully for a confession, but he didn’t anticipate the alcohol. He knew he had a low tolerance, but still, he accepted not just one, but _two_ glasses, which of course led to the unfortunate accident and his hasty retreat.

When he sobered up in the morning he had replayed the event in his head, planning to draft up a lengthy essay to himself on the negative effects of his actions, but he found something far more interesting; Grillby had never pushed him away. In fact, it almost seemed like he wanted more--which of course Papyrus would have given had they both been sober and in control of their actions.

While his plan might've been a bust overall, that particular fact was very useful, and confirmed to him that there was a very good chance that Grillby liked him back!

Armed with this new information, Papyrus had been slowly biding his time over the past couple of days to find the perfect opportunity to confess, though finding the right moment was difficult and slightly stressful. Grillby had been more anxious than usual since the incident: tense during class time and just about bolting afterward to go home, making it difficult for Papyrus to find a free minute.  It was going to require a little more finesse to coax out the perfect opportunity, but Papyrus was positive that when he finally did make a move that it would be successful!

He thought he had everything figured out and was extremely confident, but then on Wednesday after class he walked out to see another fire elemental in Grillby’s arms.

 _Who…_ He wondered.

He quickly learned that the elemental, whose name was Swirlby, had been the previous barista before him, as well as a close friend of Grillby’s. Swirlby seemed nice but...there was something wrong. Something that rubbed Papyrus the wrong way. A feeling that cropped up when he saw Grillby holding him in his arms, and again as he watched Swirlby put his arm around Grillby and pull him closer out of the corner of his sockets.

What was this feeling? It couldn’t be… jealousy?

 _No, that’s simply preposterous. The Great Papyrus does not get jealous,_ even if wanted it to be his hand on Grillby’s flawless waist. He tried to put the ridiculous thought to rest, but the longer he watched them interact as they walked towards the coffee shop, the more he pondered on their relationship. Sure, they were friends, but _how_ friendly were they? Could it be possible that Swirlby was an old flame -- _don’t you dare file that pun away to tell Sans later,_ he scolded himself-- of his?

Papyrus forced himself to disregard his musings and participate in their conversation, listening to Swirlby tell them about housing issues and his new skeleton roommate.

As soon as they reached the cafe, Swirlby ran off towards the counter, leaving him alone with Grillby. Before he could get a chance to think of something to say, Grillby beat him to the punch, apologizing.  “...Sorry, he's a bit lively.”

Lively was one way to put it, Papyrus guessed. He didn’t want Grillby to think that he was bothered, so he quickly gave a positive response. “That's okay. I think he's really nice and seems to like you a lot.”

“...I guess…” Grillby looked away from him, and an awkward atmosphere settled over them. “...Um, I’m gonna sit over there…”

“U-uhm right!” Papyrus stammered, instantly relieved that Grillby had such quick reaction skills. Truly the perfect match for him, once he finally completed all these tasks for his affections. Speaking of running-- “I'm going to go get ready for my shift! I hope you have fun catching up!”

He jogged towards the counter, waving to Reddi as he passed through to the back. Grabbing his apron from its place on the wall, Papyrus quickly donned it, wrapping the strings around his midsection several times to secure it around his spine.

“Whoa~ look at you dearie!” A loud voice sounded from behind him. Papyrus spun around, giving a polite smile to Swirlby behind him.

“What do you mean?” He asked, weaving the strings into a knot in front of his apron.

“You’re just so handsome~ I _have_ to tell you, if I wasn’t so close to a certain someone, you’d definitely be my next choice.” With that, Swirlby picked up the two mugs from the counter, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he walked back out to the main area.  

Papyrus stood stunned at his spot, mouth gaped open as he tried to wrap his skull around what just happened. Did Swirlby... flirt with him? He also mentioned being close to someone that prevented him from flirting further, did he mean Grillby?

“Papyrus. Coming?” Reddi called.

“Yes!” Papyrus slapped his hands to his skull, psyching himself up. It wasn’t time to think about the possible previous relationships of his crush/future datemate, it was time to work! Nodding to himself, Papyrus took his spot at the machine, picking up his instruments and looking to Reddi for orders. “Ready when you are!”

As time passed and Papyrus threw himself into making beverages, he found it rather difficult to keep his mind off of Grillby and Swirlby, and it didn’t help that from his vantage point he could see the two of them together. They were sitting on the same side of the table, arms hooked around each other and faces close together as they talked. Grillby’s flames seem to flicker erratically, which if Papyrus remembered was the universal Grillby sign for being flustered or embarrassed, while Swirlby’s were slightly lazier, and seemed to almost curl around Grillby’s flames the longer he looked. _What was their relationship???_

He bent down to look for the milk as Reddi called back for a milkshake, sighing loudly as he stood back up with the carton. Reddi looked back at him, head cocked to the side as they regarded him. “You alright?”

“Oh, yes, the Great Papyrus is perfectly fine and definitely not lamenting over anything! My bones just ache?” Papyrus flubbed, turning away from Reddi with burning cheeks as he put all of his energy into blending. He could feel Reddi’s eyes on his back but tried to ignore it, finishing up the drink and putting the lid on top of the cup. Reaching back for a straw--wait, two, he decided after noticing that the customers receiving the drink were a couple-- he handed the drink over, giving them his best retail smile. “Here you go!”

“Thank you. (So much!)” The couple answered together, taking the drink and straws. He turned back towards his workstation, nearly leaping in shock as Grillby looked up and made eye contact with him. Grillby’s flames puffed up towards the ceiling, turning blue at the edges as he waved shyly. Papyrus waved back, bright as an orange from the intense gaze on him.

 _He’s so cute like that,_ Papyrus mused, his thoughts trending towards Grillby again. He pictured himself with Grillby, arms linked much like his and Swirlby’s were currently, and sitting close together while engaging in couple activities. Maybe they could be sharing a drink, like the two who just received the milkshake planned to, even sharing a pastry together would be acceptable.

Gosh, when did he get so desperate for Grillby’s attention? He knew that sometimes he could be a bit needy for companionship, but this was _bad._ Papyrus _really_ needed to figure out what the elementals’ relationship was to each other, but who could he ask?

Reddi waddled over to Papyrus, glancing in the direction he was looking. Their beak opened and closed as if they wanted to say something and chose against it. Instead, they out a soft sound of amusement. “What are you up to?”

Papyrus turned to look at Reddi, working on formulating an acceptable answer when it hit him; Reddi had known both of them for longer than he did! If there was anyone who would know the particulars around Grillby and Swirlby, it would clearly be Reddi! “I have a question I must ask you, but I have to ask you in the back, away from the counter, privately.”

Reddi glanced back towards the counter, and seeing that there were no customers gave Papyrus a small shrug. “Sure.”

The two of them retreated to the back, Reddi taking a seat in the lone folding chair beside the utility closet while Papyrus leaned against the wall.  “So...I have some questions for you, Reddi.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“Well, you knew Swirlby and Grillby back when they first met, right?” Reddi nodded, prompting Papyrus to continue. “Do you know how close they were? Perhaps they were close pals, or closer buddies? Two needles in a haystack?”

Reddi stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly mulling over Papyrus’ question. “Those two were… not that close, at first. Barely friends. Swirlby dragged Grillby here for coffee. Think the coffee made Grillby stay, not Swirlby. Well… maybe Swirlby. I’m not… actually sure? I didn’t know they were still friends, but it makes sense. Flames tend to stick together.”

“Understandable! There aren’t a lot of elementals on campus in general here, nevermind Fire Elementals.”

“Yeah. Can I go now?”

Papyrus took a step forward, holding out his hands defensively. “Wait wait, one more question! Do you know if perhaps… if the two of them ever dated?”

“Ah, I thought so,” Reddi chirped, feathers fluffing up slightly in excitement. “You like Grillby, right?”

“WHAT? HO-HOW DID YOU--”

“Volume.”

“ _How did you know??”_ Papyrus whispered loudly, hands clapping to his skull. If they knew, that must mean that Grillby has already figured it out!!

“You stare at him a lot. I was worried for a while. Thought you were some kind of weird stalker. But a crush makes more sense.”

“Oh god, have I been too obvious in my staring?”

“Painfully so. Luckily Grillby is an idiot. I don’t think he figured it out yet.” Reddi sighed, raising out of the chair. “Come with me.”

Papyrus followed them back to the counter, watching curiously as Reddi pulled a few pastries out of the display and loaded them up on a tray before handing it over to him. “ These are are leftovers. Go ask if they want some. Ask the other customers too.”

“But what about our chat--” A wing pushed against Papyrus’ mouth, silencing him.

“Don’t ask. Go on now.”

Confused, Papyrus left the safety of the counter, stepping into the wild of the main dining area. He set his sights on Grillby’s table first, his grin twitching down at the edges as he watched Swirlby began to laugh uproariously from something Grillby said to him. Shaking his head to get it out of his mind, Papyrus smiled and walked over, waving at the two of them. “Hey guys!”

He glanced between the two of them, tilting his head to the side. Swirlby looked positively tickled by something, while Grillby looked...stressed. His hands gripped the tray tighter, the sudden need to protect Grillby coursing through his magic. “Am I interrupting something?”

Swirlby spoke up first, giggling. “Dearie, listen to this--!”

Grillby slapped his hand over Swirlby’s mouth, looking up and making eye contact with Papyrus. “...You’re fine. What do you have there?” He asked, gesturing to the tray.

Papyrus gasped, looking down at the tray for the first time; what kind of pastries did Reddi put on here anyway? “Oh! Um, well we had extra pastries around, and Reddi suggested that I bring them over and ask if you guys wanted any? They’re--” Papyrus brought the tray closer to his face, scrutinizing it-- “chocolate croissants.”

Papyrus could’ve sworn he saw Grillby’s eyes light up behind his glasses, but just as fast as it happened the spark was gone. “...Sure, I’d love one, and I guess you can leave one for this guy too. Thank you, Papyrus.”

Papyrus searched the tray, finding the small pile of napkins piled on it. He set a few of them out on the table, then picked up a different napkin to place the croissants. Out of the corner of his sockets he caught that glimmer of excitement in Grillby’s eyes again, following the descent of the pastry from the tray to the table. Papyrus couldn’t help but blush at Grillby’s face; he was just so cute!

“Hope you enjoy!” He chimed, fighting against his inner desire to sit and watch Grillby. There were pastries to pass out, dang it; his love life could wait!

It didn’t take too long for all of the pastries to get claimed, and soon Papyrus was making his way towards the counter again. As he went behind the divider, Papyrus saw a most unusual sight; Swirlby and Reddi were close together, whispering to each other quietly. Was Reddi telling Swirlby all of his most secret feelings that he entrusted to them??

Placing the tray down rather loudly, Papyrus mimicked clearing his non-existent throat to get their attention. “I’m all done, Reddi!”

“Good job,” Reddi said, turning away from Swirlby. “I’ll wash this.”

Papyrus shuffled awkwardly, shrinking under the gaze of Swirlby’s swirled glasses. “Did you enjoy the croissants?” He blurted out.

“Oh, yes~” Swirlby looked down at the back of his hand, bored. “Grillby and I enjoyed them _a lot~_ ”

Papyrus’ SOUL thumped painfully in his ribcage, feeling the ache of an unattainable crush. The way Swirlby phrased his words couldn’t have been an accident; he definitely had to be harboring some intense feelings for Grillby. “I’m glad,” Papyrus muttered. How was he supposed to compete against this perfect monster beside him?

Tossing Papyrus one more wide jagged smile, Swirlby left, trotting out to the tables. Since Reddi was in the back washing dishes, Papyrus took up residence at the front. He scanned the shop, making sure that everyone looked comfortable and no one was causing any issues before directing his attention back to Grillby’s table. The two of them were sitting close again, closer than Papyrus remembered them being before. Something in him twisted as he watched Swirlby shift into Grillby’s side, pressing his hand and mouth against the side of Grillby’s flames to whisper as he trailed his arm down Grillby’s back and out of Papyrus’ vision, possibly to settle against the flat of Grillby back. Or his ass; who knew with Swirlby, apparently.

Papyrus fought to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn’t help flexing his hands nervously against the table. He had been positive before that when he finally made his move to ask out Grillby it would be successful, but now with the addition of Swirlby he wasn’t so sure anymore. He was suave, confident, and much better suited to Grillby than he was. In the end, it was all up to Grillby to decide who to date, but did Papyrus really stand a chance against Swirlby?

Reddi’s voice came from behind him. “Papyrus.”

“Yes, Reddi?” Papyrus asked, turning around to face them. Their apron was absent from around their torso, a thick puffy jacket replacing it and backpack slung over their shoulder. Papyrus looked up at the clock, noting that it was earlier than usual for Reddi to be leaving. “Are you heading out already?”

Reddi nodded. “Forgot my thesis draft is due tomorrow. You can close up, right? Can even close early if you want.”

“Early?? The Great Papyrus couldn’t possibly close the coffee shop any earlier than its agreed-upon closing time!”

“Alright then. See you.” Reddi crouched low, bending their knees, before springing forward across the countertop, wings flapping to keep them slightly afloat. Once they landed, they took a step forward before stopping. “Oh. One more thing. Good luck.” And with that, they were out the door.

 _Good luck…?_ Papyrus scratched his skull, wondering what Reddi could’ve meant. Were they saying good luck to closing by himself, or maybe to nabbing Grillby?

In either case, Papyrus pushed it out of his mind, manning the front counter for the last hour of his shift. At first he tried to keep his eye-lights off of Grillby, but no matter how hard he tried his gaze ended up shifting back to his table. He and Swirlby had stopped talking some time ago and he had his homework out, scribbling in his notebook while shifting to look back at his textbook every now and again. Swirlby had just about draped himself over Grillby, looking over his shoulder at his work. The sight, while innocent, had Papyrus averting his eyes, SOUL thumping with each instance.

Part of Papyrus just wanted to march over to their table, pull Grillby against his chest and proclaim that he was now dating the Great Papyrus, consequences be damned, but the most logical, sane part of his brain knew that he should let Grillby do whatever made him happy. Even if that meant dating Swirlby. Even though he also seemed very happy in Papyrus’ presence as well. Agh, why couldn’t love be easy?!

After what seemed like forever, it was finally time for Papyrus to start closing up. He exited from behind the counter, walking up to each table and letting them know that he was closing up soon. He waited for the crowd to start dispersing before he headed over to Grillby’s table, wringing his fingers in the tangle of strings on the front of his apron as he approached them.

“Sorry you two, but I have to close up soon.” Grillby looked up at him, blinking a few times as he took in the message.

“...Oh, it's late, isn't it? Sorry, we’ll pack up and leave.”

Grillby went to stand, but Swirlby held onto his arm, keeping him there. “Wait, Grillby~ I want to check and see if I can find that thing I left here!”

“‘Thing’?” Papyrus asked.

“Yes~ I think I might’ve left something here last year while I was working. I asked Reddi, and they think they might’ve seen it in the supply closet~”

“Oh! Well in that case, let’s go check?” Papyrus took a step back from their table as Swirlby stood up, brushing off his pants.

“Thank you, Papyrus~ You’re so nice! It should just take a second~ Grillby, you too, come come.” He coaxed Grillby out of his chair, the latter looking at him, confused.

Papyrus led the way to the back, lifting up the divider for the two of them to pass through. When they reached the closet Papyrus opened it, peering inside at the contents. Since he had been in here often when he first started working at the cafe, Papyrus was familiar with the closet’s interior. It had some cleaning supplies for spills and shelving for various coffee beans and other non-perishable items that the cafe used. The closet was usually full, leaving a decent amount of space for someone to stand inside and restock the shelves, so generally, it was frowned upon to keep anything else in it.

“Are you sure you left something in here?” He called over his shoulder, taking a few steps inside to see.

“I’m one hundred percent certain, dearie~ Maybe it fell behind one of the shelves? Grillby, would you be a dear and go provide Papyrus some light?”

“...Sure.”  The closet lit up considerably when Grillby followed behind him, and Papyrus had to stop a small gasp from cropping up when Grillby gripped onto the back of his sweater. “...Is this okay?”

“I-I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean,” Papyrus stammered, fighting the blush that threatened to make its way to his face.

“...Uhm, can you see?”

“O-oh! Yes, I can see the closet now, thank you Grillby! Your body is very invaluable to me right now!” Grillby made a strangled sort of sound behind him and he felt the temperature rise in the small closet. “Yes, invaluable to find this item that Swirlby lost, of course! What did you say you lost--”

The door to the closet slammed, startling both Papyrus and Grillby into looking back at the door. “...Swirlby, are you there?” Grillby called.

“Oh no~!” Swirlby’s muted voice came through the door. “The door closed on its own! I’ll try looking around for the closet key, you two just sit tight, okay~?”

Grillby reached out to the doorknob, jiggling it in hopes that the door would open. He turned around to Papyrus, shrugging his shoulders. “...Locked.”

It was at this point that two things became very apparent to Papyrus: 1. He was locked in a closet, and 2. He was locked in a closet _with Grillby._ He backed up slightly, pushing himself closer to the shelving to give them some distance and hopefully to stop the sudden frantic beating of his over-excited SOUL. “Sorry, just giving you some room!” Papyrus babbled, gesturing to the space between them.

Grillby looked down at the space, eyes widening as if he just realized the predicament they were in. His face turned an impressive shade of blue as he backed up to the door, placing his hands on the flat surface as his eyes darted up and down Papyrus’ form. “...Right, thank you.”

The two spent some time looking around the closet, trying and failing to not meet the other’s gaze. They would hold the contact for a brief moment, before shifting their eyes in another direction, mumbling apologies. It was...very awkward, Papyrus decided. He couldn’t help but think what would’ve happened if it was Swirlby locked in this closet with Grillby instead of him. Would the atmosphere be as awkward between the two of them? Maybe….Grillby would’ve preferred it if he were stuck in here with Swirlby instead of him?

“...I would’ve preferred what now?” Grillby asked.

“WHAT?!” Papyrus snapped to, scandalized. Did he accidentally speak his thoughts out loud?!

“...What did you mean?”

Papyrus stared at Grillby, his resolve quickly crumbling under his gaze. He sighed. “I meant that maybe you would rather be stuck in this closet with Swirlby instead of me.”

Grillby’s flames took on a fuzzy question mark shape as he crossed his arms loosely. “...Why’s that?”

“Well, I mean, usually a monster would prefer being trapped somewhere with their datemate instead of some random guy,” Papyrus mumbled, hoping that Grillby wouldn’t hear, but the resulting snort told him that he had failed.

“...Me, dating Swirlby? That’s laughable. He isn’t my type,” Grillby chuckled.

“Really? But you two seemed perfect for each other! You get along well, you’re both handsome fire elementals, and Swirlby seemed to be all over you.”

Grillby averted his eyes, blush darkening as he took a deep breath. “...I, um…. well, Swirlby is just kind of like that. I actually… have someone else that I’d like to date,” he said quietly, arms tightening across his body.

Papyrus stared at Grillby, the puzzle pieces of his words slowly coming together. Grillby wasn’t dating Swirlby, and never wanted to. He had someone else he wanted to date, but...could it be?

Before he could stop himself Papyrus closed the gap between them, placing a hand against the door beside Grillby’s head. He brought his other hand up to Grillby’s face, tilting his head up to look into his eye lights.

Grillby’s breath came out in small gasps, hitting Papyrus’ teeth as his eyes focused on Papyrus’ face. “...Papyrus?” he asked, voice shaking just as much as he was underneath Papyrus’ heated gaze.

 _Adorable,_ Papyrus thought idly as he leaned forward, connecting their mouths together.

When Papyrus thought of the perfect first kiss, he imagined it to be underneath a night sky, fireworks blaring overhead as his teeth touched whatever monster’s mouth he was dating. He figured that sparks would fly, igniting their SOULs and making them feel giddy afterward.

In reality, it was everything and nothing like he imagined it to be.

He wrapped his arms around Grillby, pushing closer to him and closing his sockets. Grillby’s mouth was warm, just as warm as he thought it would be, but also soft somehow. Magic, possibly? Grillby was frozen underneath him, arms half-raised in surprise from when he was caught off guard by the kiss, but a soft moan from him, along with his hands tentatively pressing against Papyrus’ shoulders a second later was all that Papyrus needed to lose himself completely. The air cracked sharply inside his jaw as he summoned his tongue, opening his mouth just wide enough to flick his new appendage against Grillby’s mouth.

Papyrus thought he would nearly faint when Grillby reciprocated, rubbing a hot fiery tongue against his with a groan, but instead he pushed back just as eagerly, lapping at Grillby’s mouth with passion. He knew that he was probably doing it all wrong and he was definitely the worst kisser in the history of forever, but right now it didn’t matter if he was an expert. All that mattered at that moment was the tiny closet that they had been shoved into, his tongue mapping out the intricacies of Grillby’s mouth, and Grillby’s hands running over every available surface of his body as they kissed like their lives depended on it.

It was amazing and wonderful and everything he wanted it to be, so Papyrus should’ve known that such a good thing couldn’t last, definitely wouldn’t last, and the closet door suddenly swinging open confirmed that to him. The two of them, without a hard surface to brace themselves against, fell out of the closet, settling into a small heap on the floor. Swirlby stood over them, fake surprise on his face as he looked down at the two of them. “I found the key~!” He cheered, smirk quickly surfacing on his face. “Did I interrupt you two~?”

Papyrus and Grillby quickly shuffled to their feet, looking at each other with heated faces. “I-uh..”

“...I… _Igottagosorry!”_ Grillby wheezed out, flames dangerously high as he quickly fled the shop.

“Grillby wait, you forgot your bookbag~! And your jacket!” Swirlby called after him, holding up the items. He looked over his shoulder at Papyrus, shrugging nonchalantly. “I cleaned up the shop for you, so feel free to lock up when you’re ready~. I’m going to go return these to Grillby.”

Papyrus gazed at Swirlby’s retreating figure, rubbing a finger against his teeth absently. His SOUL was doing acrobatics in his chest as his thoughts replayed the kiss over and over again in his head like an old tv rerun. He thought that it was nice, amazing actually, and he hoped that Grillby enjoyed it too. But if he had, then why did he run away?

 _Oh dear_ , Papyrus thought to himself, realization dawning on him. Could it have been possible that Papyrus had forced that kiss on Grillby before he was ready?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting for this chapter my entire life tbh.


	14. The Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby sorts out his thoughts and figures out what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up to all you guys, after next week's update (Chapter 15), I'll be taking a week break for Atlantale a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶e̶f̶i̶n̶i̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶i̶c̶.

_Papyrus kissed him._

Papyrus kissed him.

**Papyrus kissed him!!!**

Grillby sat on his bed, legs crossed underneath him as he tried in vain not to freak out. He clutched his pillow close to him, telling his brain not to wander back to the closet and the _kiss_ , but of course, it did anyway.

If Grillby had to pick just one word to describe it, he would choose 'magical'. Papyrus’ teeth had felt so _right_ against his mouth, although slightly more rigid than he would’ve expected them to be. Well, honestly Grillby wasn’t quite sure what his expectations were at all before that kiss, maybe he thought kissing would feel like kissing his pillow? In either case, his teeth were perfect, and his tongue…

Grillby shivered, feeling a small pang of desire well up inside him when he thought about it. It was so cold that initially Grillby had been worried that Papyrus might accidentally extinguish his mouth, but he had been willing to accept the danger if he meant he could spend forever in Papyrus’ arms.

But, it all came to an end when Swirlby opened the door and he ran away. Why did he run??? Other than the kiss itself, that singular question had been plaguing Grillby’s mind for--he checked his phone, ignoring the message notifications on his screen. He was not at all ready to tackle _that_ hurdle yet-- three hours? God, why wasn’t he sleeping yet? He had to sleep, so that way he could get up for class and...somehow face Papyrus and talk about the closet.

He kind of really didn’t want to do that yet.

Maybe he could skip his statics class tomorrow? Skip class and think up a good game plan on how to approach the subject of their kiss. They definitely couldn’t ignore it at this point, and now that Grillby knew his affections were probably returned, all he needed to do was confess. That should be easy, right?

* * *

Grillby rubbed at his eyes, yawning widely as he took up residence in a secluded corner of the library. Between waiting for his anxiety to taper off last night and constantly thinking of the kiss he had a restless night, maybe getting around three hours of sleep max. He went through his first two classes on autopilot, hoping that he would be able to remember the lectures before retreating to the library to sit out of Statics. Grillby felt bad about not giving Heats any sort of heads-up before ditching class, but he knew that if Heats were privy to his plan then there was a chance that Papyrus could find out, and there was no way he could let that happen.  

Since he managed to get a good portion of his homework done yesterday with Swirlby, Grillby pulled out his phone, sighing as he opened his messages. Surprisingly, the only texts were from Swirlby.

8:08pm xx/xx/xx  
**Flaming Mess:  
** _Grillbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy where did you go  
_ _I have your stufffff_

Grillby ignored those messages; Swirlby had managed to catch up to him when he stopped to take a breath yesterday, and he must’ve noticed that Grillby wasn’t in the right headspace to talk because he simply passed over the items and said that he’d text him later. With that in mind, Grillby read on.

10:43pm xx/xx/xx  
**Flaming Mess:  
** Okay this has to be long enough for you to get over your anxiety right? Give me alllllllllllll the details!  
How was his kissing? Wait, you wouldn’t know that, you virgin you :wink:  
_I told you my plan would workkkkkkk. They don’t call me ‘Swirlby the lover’ for nothing!  
_ Text me back cutieeeeeeeeee

...Yeah, he wasn’t going to text him back anytime soon. Grillby sighed, checking to see if he had any other new messages, but everything else was already read. Not even anything from Papyrus. Odd, he would’ve thought that Papyrus would’ve contacted him the moment he realized that he wasn’t there at class. Maybe he didn’t care…?

Before Grillby could fall too far down his into his spiraling anxiety, his phone buzzed with a new text.

3:10pm xx/xx/xx  
**YOU BETTER REMEMBER MY NAME:  
** _Hey man, where are you? And Papyrus? Are you two playing hooky without me??? :(_

Heats?

3:10pm xx/xx/xx  
_Sorry, I wanted to get some studying done for Materials. Papyrus isn’t there either?_

3:12pm xx/xx/xx  
**YOU BETTER REMEMBER MY NAME:  
** Nope.

Was Papyrus just as embarrassed as he was? He didn’t expect him to be so shy, considering the way he grabbed him in the closet but...well, Grillby pushed back just as hard and now he was cowering in the library so maybe he could cut Papyrus a little slack for once.

Grillby replied back to Heats, asking to borrow his notes for later, before pulling out his textbook and alternating between re-reading content he already knew and daydreaming about Papyrus’ bones for the next few hours. Every so often he would check his phone to see if he received any messages from Papyrus, but unfortunately, none came in. Was he okay? Should Grillby text him to make sure? He was going to do it.

7:55pm xx/xx/xx  
_Hey, Papyrus, are you alright? Heats and I missed you in class._

Well, there it was. Nothing much else for Grillby to do other than wait, but he could do that in his dorm room. He packed up his stuff and left the library, trekking through the brightly-lit campus back to his room.

Once he finally arrived back and curled up in the blankets on his bed, Grillby hazarded a look at his phone again, only to find another message notification from Swirlby, demanding that Grillby call him. Sighing, he dialed Swirlby’s number.

“ _Hello~ Grillby, is that you?”_

“...Yeah,” Grillby answered, tilting his head down to cradle the phone against his shoulder. He laid back against his pillows, getting comfortable for what he expected would be a long phone call.

“ _You never texted me back! I was on the edge of my bed all night waiting for you to get back to me.”_

“...Sorry, I uh--”

“ _No no, don't apologize, it was a big day for you, after all~!”_ Swirlby interrupted with a laugh. “ _Which reminds me, how was it~?”_

“...How was…?”

“ _The kiss dearie, how was the kiss~?”_

“...Really good. Best first kiss ever.” Grillby said, giddiness rising in his SOUL. “...I’ve never felt so...so, light? I’m not even sure how to describe it, but every time I think back to it, my face just sort of falls into this dopey grin and I feel butterflies in my core.”

Swirlby let out a pleased trill over the phone. “ _You are just so precious~! I’m very glad that it went well for you. So are you two officially dating yet~?”_

“...Well, about that--”

“ _Grillby Rock Fire, do you mean to tell me you haven’t even talked to Papyrus since last night?”_

“...That’s not my middle name…”

“ _Grillby! This is a very delicate time of your relationship, so you need to talk to Papyrus about it~.”_

Grillby sighed, grabbing ahold of the phone as he shifted over to his side and fiddled with the stray threads on the pillowcase under him. “...Okay, I understand.”

“ _I mean it, Grillby. You better march your cute little tushy into class tomorrow and tell that poor boy how you feel.”_

“...I promise.”

After talking for a little longer, Swirlby finally hung up, allowing Grillby time to plug in his phone and get ready for bed. He curled up under his covers again when he was all set and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The next day Grillby waited until the professor was ready to begin class before stalking into the classroom, cautiously taking a seat beside Heats.

“Hey man, been a while!” Heats greeted him, flames flickering happily. “How did your Materials stuff go?”

Grillby looked at him, confused. “...Materials...oh, it went fine, no problems here.” He looked around the classroom as the lights dimmed, searching for a certain pair of eye-lights. “Did you happen to see Papyrus in here before I came in?”

Heats shook his head. “Nope. Just you, me, and the rest of the class. Did you try texting him?”

“...Tried last night.”

“Well here, I’ll try too.” Heats reached down into his bookbag and pulled out his phone, sending a quick message. A few seconds later the phone buzzed, startling them both. Heats looked over, reading the message out to Grillby. “ _‘Hello Heats, I am sorry I worried you these past couple of days. I have caught a cold so I’ve been staying home’_ \--wait, can skeletons catch colds?”

Grillby shrugged. As far as he knew, Papyrus didn’t even have the organs to catch colds, and it wasn’t like many magic-based illnesses existed. “...Did he say anything else?”

“Uh, let’s see. ‘Is it possible that I could borrow your notes from the past couple days of class on Monday? I’d hate to fall behind, so that would be fantastic!’ That’s it, what do you think?”

“...I think I’ll bring him the notes today if you don’t mind me borrowing them?” Grillby asked.

Heats huffed, throwing a hand over his face in a dramatic manner. “I’m beginning to think that you two only keep me around for my fantastic note-taking. You better remember this favor next time I text you for help, Grillby.”

Grillby nodded, smiling. “...Deal.”

“I mean it! You can’t just sit around laughing forever, you have to actually help me, you jerk.”

“...Okay, okay.”

After an hour of taking notes and watching lecture slides, the professor finally ended class, and with Heats’ class notes securely packed away in his bag, Grillby left the building for Papyrus’ house. On his walk Grillby wondered what he planned to say to him, since he knew it was impossible to just greet him normally like Wednesday didn’t happen. Maybe he could bring it up casually? Like ‘Hey, Papyrus, how’s it going? Crazy night before, right?’ Or he could skip straight to the confession part of it all? ‘Hey Papyrus, I like you and that kiss was the most exciting moment of my short existence. Date me?’

Yeah, he was screwed.

A short walk later had Grillby standing in front of the shared house with no idea what the plan of action was. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate and walking up to the front door.

Before he could knock the door swung open, revealing the only other person he really wasn’t looking forward to seeing right now: Undyne. Her single eye met his, narrowed and glaring at him with the ferocity of a thousand spears pointed at him. “...H-hey there, Undyne.”

Undyne crossed her arms with a grunt, leaning against the open door as she regarded him. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“...Is Papyrus here?” Grillby asked wearily. Not even a minute in her presence and already he felt exhausted. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now.

“Yep,” Undyne said, popping her mouth on the ‘p’.

“...Can I see him?”

“I don’t know, _can_ you?”

“...Undyne--”

“Undyne!” Alphys’ head appeared from behind Undyne, hands on her hips as she glared up at her girlfriend. “Wh-what are you doing? Let him i-in!”

Undyne turned to her, expression morphing into something more sheepish. “But babe…”

“Don’t ‘b-b-babe’ me, go--like, go get Papyrus!” Alphys chastised, waiting for Undyne to walk off before shifting her attention to Grillby. She gestured for Grillby to enter, waiting until he was inside to close the door.  “S-sorry, she’s--um, she’s just s-salty.”

“...Salty?”

“Sh-she bet that you--that you wouldn’t, like, show,” Alphys explained. “Owes me f-f-fifty G.”

“...Oh.” Of course they would bet on him showing. At least Alphys was on his side?

A loud slam drew their attention to the hallway, followed by a shrill scream that sounded suspiciously like Papyrus’ voice. Grillby and Alphys exchanged worried glances as Undyne opened the door and walked out of Papyrus’ room, brushing off her arms with a certain energetic air to her. She looked over at the two of them, angling her hand back towards where she came from. “The nerd’s all ready for ya!”

“...Thank--” Grillby started to say, but Undyne walked past him and picked up Alphys, cradling her underneath her arm as if she weighed a feather-- “...You?”

“Alphys and I are going out on an impromptu date. Papyrus isn’t going anywhere so you should be good.” Undyne walked over to the front door, bending over slightly to keep her balance as she slipped on her boots. While she was doing that, Alphys reached her hands out to grab her own sneakers, tucking them under her arms protectively.

Grillby watched the two of them curiously, wondering briefly how they were able to move in tandem so well. Maybe they had a lot of practice?

Undyne had opened the door and was halfway through when she stopped and called over her shoulder. “Punk.”

“...Yes?”

“Take care of him, alright?”

Undyne closed the door behind her, leaving Grillby in the hallway by himself. Undyne definitely just gave him her blessings, he was sure of that.

_Time to finally do it._

Grillby took off his book bag and jacket, placing them on the couch as he walked through the hallway to Papyrus’ bedroom door. “...Papyrus, are you there?” He called.

“ _Unfortunately,_ ” Came the muffled response, giving Grillby all that he needed to push open the door and walk in.

The room was similar to how it was when Grillby stayed there the other night, although slightly messier. Papers littered the wooden desk in a manner that was unlike the usual neatness, a few spilling onto the floor and partially covering Papyrus’ prostrate form.  

“...Are you okay?” Grillby asked, cautiously stepping into the room and taking a seat beside Papyrus on the floor. He picked up a piece of paper off of Papyrus’ face, placing it on the floor in front of him. Papyrus flicked his eye lights over to Grillby gratefully before letting out a sigh.

“Thank you. I’m fine, just some damage to ego...and maybe a little bit to my scapula.”

“...What did she do?”

“I was planning on jumping out the window so she executed the Confidence Suplex, and it was done flawlessly but,” He gestured loosely to the mess around him. “yeah.”

“...mm.”

Grillby looked around as the atmosphere grew awkward again, busying himself with gathering the papers around him and placing them into a pile. He focused on the ones closest to him, pointedly avoiding Papyrus’ gaze on his movements as he worked. The papers had all sorts of complicated notes and equations on them, no doubt from one of Papyrus’ other classes. He kind of wanted to ask Papyrus about them, or say anything to break up the stifling air around them, but settled for tidying them up for now.

When all the papers in his reach were in the pile in front of him, Grillby gathered them all into his arms, intent on delivering them back to the desk where they belonged, but before he could stand up Papyrus seized a hold of his wrist. “Grillby.”

Grillby paused in his movements, gazing at the skeletal hand on his wrist before shifting his glance to Papyrus’ face. “...Yes?”

“I...well, I’m sorry.”

“...Sorry? For what?”

“For the whole mess in the closet. I really liked--well, still like you, and I thought maybe you felt the same way, but I realized after you ran that maybe you didn’t like me back or you weren’t ready for the commitment of a smooch from the Great Papyrus--which I understand because I’m pretty intimidating--but, anyway...” Papyrus sat up, looking directly into Grillby’s eyes. “Please accept my most sincere apologies! I didn’t mean to push my feelings onto you in the closet and I’m very sorry that you felt like you had to kiss me back!”

Grillby stared at Papyrus open-mouthed, trying to parse through the word vomit he just listened to. “...I, uh...wow. Um, I think we might have misunderstood each other the entire time.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Papyrus asked.

“...I liked the kiss, and I like you...like a lot. I’ve been trying to confess my feelings to you for a long time, and I guess you’ve been trying to do the same?”

“Ever since before the dinner date!”

“...Yep, same here.”

The two stared at each other for a second before bursting out into giggles. Grillby buried his face into the papers in his arms, blushing wildly as he laughed along with Papyrus, half from the absurdity of the whole situation and the rest from relief. Papyrus actually liked him! He couldn’t believe it, but it wasn't all in his head; Papyrus felt the same as he did and **liked him!!**

Papyrus recovered first, wiping tears from his sockets before slowly scooting over to Grillby’s side. He reached a hand out, coaxing Grillby to turn his head. Instead of removing his hand, Papyrus cupped the side of Grillby’s face, brushing a thumb across the stray flames ebbing off of his cheek. “Can I kiss you?”

Grillby nodded, swallowing heavily as he inched his head towards Papyrus. His eyes fluttered closed as he felt the first touch of Papyrus’ teeth against his mouth, light and hesitant compared to their last kiss, which was wild and full of passion. Grillby felt his arms go slack as he relaxed, the papers slowly sliding from their pile onto the floor as he angled the rest of his body toward Papyrus.

His hands found the cold, bonier hands in his lap as they parted, and it took him a moment to remember how to open his eyes.

Papyrus’ face was close to his, heavily flushed as he smiled fondly at Grillby.  He squeezed their hands together in a reassuring way, nuzzling their foreheads together. “Date me?”

“...Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELP I LOVE THEM


	15. The One Where They Start Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dating: START!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy I'm back from vacation and ready to fucking work on this shit o7. Decided to update the rating now to prepare for the Uh, smut ahaha

“So, you mean to tell me that you guys weren't already dating?” Heats asked.

Grillby and Papyrus exchanged perplexed looks with each other. The two of them had decided earlier that morning to start informing their friends and family of their new relationship and picked Heats as their first target, mostly because he wouldn’t put up a big fuss like Swirlby. They thought that it would come as a surprise to him of all people, based on the fact that he hadn’t been involved in all the crazy confession schemes and plans that had been going on in the past week or two, but apparently not?

“...No?” Grillby said. “Did you think we were?”

“Uh, yeah? Ever since the first day of class you two have been inseparable, so I just figured maybe you guys got together and were keeping it on the down-low or something?” Heats rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 

“We actually just confessed to each other a few days ago!” Papyrus said happily, lacing his arm with Grillby’s, much to his embarrassment. He fought the blush that threatened to overtake his face--something that he noticed was a frequent occurrence nowadays.

“Well, uh…congrats? I’m glad you guys are happy, or something like that.” Heats turned away from the two of them to pick up his notebook, focusing on it as if it had the answers to the hardest questions known to monsterkind. Despite the somewhat subdued tone, Grillby knew that Heats had accepted them, which made him almost as happy as actually being with Papyrus.

“That was easy enough, right?” Papyrus asked, his genuine smile sending an overflow of warm emotions to Grillby’s SOUL. Grillby couldn't help but return it. 

“... Yeah.”

They had only been dating since Friday, but already Grillby felt the difference in their relationship. Papyrus continued to send him daily morning messages as usual but added little hearts with them, and he even found himself adding cute emotes in his replies back without even realizing it. They hadn’t really had a chance to engage in more kissing or other intimate touches, but even just Papyrus’ eye-lights on him was enough to practically send Grillby’s SOUL into a frenzy. 

The room began to quiet down when the professor walked into the room, dimming the lights as he passed by the outlets and turning on the projector to display his lecture. As the professor began to start, Grillby glanced over at Papyrus on his left side. He was entranced by the lecture, pencil poised against the notebook in his left hand and right leg twitching erratically as usual. Grillby focused on his right hand resting on the desk and wondered if he ever really knew that Papyrus was left-handed. He probably observed it plenty of times with how often he studied Papyrus in class, but never put two and two together. If Papyrus was left-handed, and he was right-handed, he could probably do...

Fighting against his nervousness, Grillby slowly inched his left hand out of his lap, moving it until his pinky had connected with one of Papyrus’ fingers. 

“Oh!” Papyrus gasped, startled. He looked down at their fingers before training his sockets back on Grillby. “You scared me, nyeh heh heh. Do you need something?” He whispered.

“...Not particularly, I just wanted to, um, hold your hand....” Grillby’s voice went softer and softer as he talked until he was basically hissing out the last word. He shouldn’t have asked, he should’ve just went along with the lecture like every day and just imagined what it would be like. Damnit, Papyrus probably thought he was desperate for attention now. 

To his surprise, Papyrus shifted so that his hand was on top of Grillby’s hand and laced their fingers together gently. “I was thinking about wanting to do the same thing,” He confessed.

For the rest of the lecture, Grillby thoughts constantly bounced back to how adorable his boyfriend was as he took down his notes. Every now and again Papyrus’ thumb would brush against the side of his hand, sending a jolt of fondness down to Grillby’s being and making him feel as if he were floating on air. When the lecture finally ended Grillby was certain that he was even brighter than the fluorescent lights that blared overhead. 

Papyrus let go of Grillby’s hand in order to bring his arms up over his head, stretching his spine. “Wowie, what an illuminating lecture, wouldn’t you agree, Grillby?” Before Grillby could wonder if he was alluding to his current flushed state with a pun, Papyrus continued. “I think we’ve both been kind of lost on how to tackle redundancy, right? It was nice that they went further in-depth on the subject today!”

“...Right, I agree.” Grillby pulled his hand back to his own desk, wondering how long it would be before his body began its regeneration process. He wished that he could keep the same flames that managed to be apart of his first act of handholding, but wasn’t that a little creepy? Dismissing the odd thoughts in his head, Grillby turned towards Heats. “...So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Uh...man, I don’t know. I was planning just to chill and play some games, but what did you have in mind?” Heats asked.

“...I was planning to go to the cafe to get a start on this week’s homework while Papyrus does his shift, want to come with?”

Heats stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I should probably start that sooner rather than later but uh...will Swirlby be there?”

“...Maybe?”

“Yeah, I’ll pass. That dude just doesn’t like me for some reason,” Heats said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. 

Grillby sighed; why couldn’t his friends just get along? “...Okay, we’ll just have to hang out some other time.”

“Definitely!” Heats slung his book bag over his shoulder in a typical bad boy-type way, his favored aesthetic if Grillby recalled correctly. “I’ll see you guys later!” 

After tossing his stuff into his bag, Grillby turned to Papyrus, who was already all packed up and ready to go. “...Shall we?”

The two of them exited the building, the icy chill instantly sending a shiver through Grillby. He never could get used to the winter cold, and it’s barely even started! After stopping quickly to adjust his scarf higher on his face, he and Papyrus started to walk along the path towards the edge of campus. 

Grillby couldn’t help his gaze from wandering to Papyrus several times on their trip; nothing, in particular, was drawing him in, just Papyrus in general. He was mesmerized by the cool air billowing from the sides of Papyrus’ closed jaw; entranced by the way his coat tails caught the wind  _ just right  _ to make him look like he was someone important, instead of another run-of-the-mill college student like the rest of them. His eyes wandered down towards Papyrus’ arms, focusing on the gloved skeletal hands he held not even an hour ago in class. It was...really nice. He kind of wanted to do it again. Would Papyrus mind? Hopefully not, because he was going to do it…right now...he was going to reach his hand out...and grab his boyfriend’s hand!

“Grillby? Are you okay?” Grillby paused in his movements, hand shaking as he looked up into Papyrus’ concerned sockets. “Do you need something?”

Grillby slowly inched his hand into Papyrus’ as an answer, glancing away as the edges of his flames crackled violently. “...Is this okay?”

“I--uh, yes! This is adequate for the Great Papyrus!” 

“...Just adequate? I guess I’ll have to work harder to meet your high standards,” Grillby teased.

“Wait, I, that’s not what I meant!” Papyrus screeched. Grillby’s shoulders shook with barely contained laughter as Papyrus tried to revise his statement. Their banter went on as they reached the coffee shop, and it wasn’t until Grillby was standing at the counter with Papyrus that he realized they were still holding hands. 

Papyrus cleared his throat metaphorically, seemingly also noticing that their hands were still entwined. “Here we are, at my place of work and your place of leisure. While I would hate to let go...I, unfortunately, can’t work with only one hand.”

“...Sure you can, Reddi can pick up the slack, right Reddi?”

Reddi barely looked up from their phone, waving their wing in Papyrus’ attention. “I don’t care. Do what you want.”

“I guess I’LL be the responsible one then!” Papyrus huffed, the edges of his mouth tilting up in amusement regardless. He squeezed Grillby’s hands before pulling away, leaning forward to plant a small kiss between where Grillby’s eyebrows would be. “I’ll talk to you when I’m free, okay?”

Grillby nodded absently, bringing a hand up to the spot where Papyrus’ teeth were just seconds before. A forehead kiss... He watched Papyrus go behind the counter with his mouth opened in a small, jagged smile.

“Young love,” Reddi’s monotone voice sounded behind him. Grillby jolted back to awareness, looking back at Reddi in a mixture of embarrassment and sheepishness. “Don’t worry. I was there once. Long time ago.”

“...You say that like you’re ancient.” 

“Older than you. Oh, customer coming. Move somewhere else. Near Papyrus.” Reddi shooed Grillby away from the front, greeting the newcomer. Grillby walked over to the side as Reddi instructed, spotting Papyrus further back, finishing up the ties on his apron. There was something about him in his work outfit that captivated Grillby and kept his attention; maybe it was the startling contrast between the edge of his ribcage and his spine, or perhaps it was the intent way he focused as his nimble, ungloved fingers delicately wrapped the strings over each other in a perfect knot. 

Grillby was pretty sure he had never spent much thought on Papyrus doing something as simple as putting on his work apron, but now it was invading his mind like an earworm. Was it an effect of their new relationship that he kept noticing all these new things, the ‘rose-colored’ glasses he read so much about?

Reddi’s voice pulled him out of his trance as they shouted back a complicated drink order, some sort of...gingmon latte? 

“...Hey Papyrus, what’s a ‘gingmon latte’?”

“It’s the new seasonal drink!” Papyrus answered, slapping the cap closed on the coffee hand-grinder and cranking the lever. “I think we just posted it up last week, and it’ll probably last until Valentine's Day.”

“...What is it exactly?”

“It’s a latte! Flavored with ginger and cinnamon for the perfect amount of kick!”

“...Sounds tasty,” Grillby said coolly, even though he was internally excited as he imagined how amazing it must taste. He wondered if it would work with alcohol.

“I think I can make it for you if you want later!” Papyrus chimed. He poured the ground coffee beans into the small cup made for the espresso machine, using his fingers to gently smooth it down. Grillby watched him push the cup in the slot until it clicked, and then Papyrus flicked the switch on the machine to start it. While the machine churned, Papyrus plucked a mug off of the shelf behind him and sat it on the counter before running off again. 

At this point the customer who ordered the drink had settled next to Grillby at the counter, tapping away at their phone with fuzzy cat paws. Their eyes met his for a brief second, subtly nodding in acknowledgment before flicking back down to the small device. 

“Excuse me!” They both looked up as Papyrus’ voice cut into their comfortable silence. 

“Yep?”

“Would you like latte art?” He asked.

The monster tilted their head. “Latte art? Sure, why not.”

Grillby leaned closer to the counter as Papyrus picked up a pitcher of frothed milk and slowly began to taint the surface of the coffee with it. His movements were slow and precise as the art started to take shape into a blob at the bottom of the cup. Before Grillby could question it, Papyrus moved his wrist faster, cutting curves lines as he moved up. When he was done he passed the latte over to the customer, a realistic sketch of his face staring back at them.

“It’s me! And those are my sweet biceps here, and here,” Papyrus excitedly pointed out the other parts of the art, which did, in fact, look like toned biceps. “I hope you enjoy!”

When the monster had walked far enough away, Grillby rested on his elbows as he regarded Papyrus. “...Okay, that was amazing. Why don’t I get great latte art like that?”

Papyrus shrugged, lowering himself to Grillby’s level and resting on his own elbows. “I haven’t tried it yet with your drinks. Do you want me to?”

“...That would be nice, I think.”

“Okay, I can work on it, just for you.” Papyrus’ eye-lights shifted left and right quickly before he surged forward, pressing his teeth against Grillby’s mouth firmly. After a few seconds, he pulled away, smiling as Grillby’s eyes fluttered open in confusion. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day, you know.”

Grillby wracked his mind for a response but found it surprisingly empty from the surprise kiss. “...Ah.” 

“You’re so cute when you blush,” Papyrus giggled, his own blush littering his cheekbones. “Okay, I’m going to go work, you do your best too, okay?”

“...Will I get another kiss if I work hard?” 

Grillby laughed lightly as Papyrus shooed him away from the counter, taking delight in the fact that he never said no.


	16. Family Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Grillby talk about family stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it a bird? A plane? Nope, it's more dialogue!
> 
> Some tags for this chapter just in case: Talk of family issues, talk of parental death

It was a particularly windy day outside, so Grillby abandoned his usual table near the door for a seat near the fireplace, the couch specifically. The warmth from the crackling fire sent Grillby into a nice, relaxed state of security, which was a stark contrast to his latent panic and anxiety due to the fast-approaching exams at the start of the next week. It wasn’t like he wasn’t prepared; he had been testing himself on the material at every free moment of the past couple of days, so there was no way he wouldn’t pass.  _ But what if-- _

Papyrus squeezed his hand affectionately, causing Grillby to look up at him. He was focused on his own textbook, something that looked complicated with enough formulas and diagrams to make Grillby’s head spin, but somehow still so in tune to him to feel the slight shift in Grillby’s emotions.

“...Thank you,” Grillby mumbled, brushing his forehead against Papyrus’ mandible. Papyrus shifted, turning his upper body just enough to press a soft kiss against his temple.

“It’s my pleasure! I won’t let you get overwhelmed before exams have even begun. Besides, there’s no way you could fail, you’ve been studying so hard!” 

“...How are you so amazing?”

“Sans always did tell me that I fell into a vat of sugar when I was younger,” Papyrus mused in a serious tone, sending Grillby into a fit of giggles. 

“...Oh my god, that’s so precious!” Grillby croaked out between breaths. 

Papyrus frowned above him. “He didn’t tell me the truth until I was thirteen!”

“...You believed it for  _ that  _ long?”

“I had no reason to doubt him.” 

Grillby snorted, putting a hand against his mouth as he hazarded a quick look around the cafe. It was Sunday, so the shop was nearly devoid of people except for the two of them and one other lone monster sitting at one of the dining tables. He couldn’t quite see Reddi from his angle on the couch, but he was sure that the bird was either taking a nap in the back area or doing their own coursework under the counter. Focusing back on Papyrus, Grillby gently nudged his arm up, waiting until Papyrus’ textbook had been lifted out of his lap before twisting his body to the side, tossing his legs over the arm of the couch and laying his head in the vacant spot.

“Excuse you,” Papyrus protested lightly but placed his textbook in Grillby’s lap all the same. Grillby fought the urge to purr as the almost sharp ends of Papyrus’ fingertips made contact with the thick concentration of fire magic around his head, arching up closer into his touch. There was a nagging thought at the back of his head that told him to be embarrassed by their intimate contact, but lately, he had been getting better at shutting that particular part of his mind up. 

Grillby had been challenging himself to give into his desires for affection without letting his insecurities get in the way, so he tested the waters with more casual contact between them. At first, he tried initiating more hand-holding, and once he was comfortable with that he moved onto more cheek and forehead kissing before Papyrus’ shift each day, much to Reddi’s disgust. Papyrus himself was quick to respond and eager to reciprocate, leading to one or two instances of light makeouts against the wall before Papyrus locked up for the night. 

His eyes fluttered closed as he let himself enjoy Papyrus’ touch, but soon Papyrus broke the silence with a question.“So what are you doing for break?” 

“...Going home for Gyftmas and New Years,” Grillby said. “...Unfortunately, I have to leave when the dorms close, so I’ll have to go the weekend after finals end.”

Papyrus’ fingers stilled on Grillby’s forehead. “You don’t sound happy about that. You don’t want to go home?”

“...I uh, don’t have the best relationship with my family. Well, my parents, at least.” He cast his eyes to the side, distracting himself from the bubbling anxiety by coaxing Papyrus into petting him again. 

His family problems had to be about the last thing he ever wanted to talk about to anyone, especially Papyrus. Only Heats really knew the gritty details of his relationship due to witnessing his family first-hand while visiting during last spring break. Grillby had thought that his parents were overbearing enough as it was, but with Heats there it was downright terrible. He still wasn’t sure if the entire night of apologizing had been enough.

Hopefully, Papyrus wouldn’t ask?

“What happened?”  _ Fuck. _

“...I uh, really don’t want to get into it.” 

Soft, nimble fingers gripped his face before he could bury it into the wool fibers of the sweater dress underneath his head, maneuvering his face so that he was looking into Papyrus’ concerned eye-lights. “Will it help you if I shared my own story first?”

“...Wait, share what? Family issues? I thought that you and your brother were really close.” 

“Yes, we are rather close, but haven’t you wondered why neither of us has ever mentioned our parents?”

“...” He had, of course. He figured that maybe the siblings had chatted about them over the phone or through text, but...

“Hey. Lovebirds.” The two of them paused, glancing over the back of the couch at Reddi. “It's slow today. Last customer just left. Gonna start closing up unless you want to?” They asked Papyrus. 

Papyrus looked down at Grillby. “Do you feel like getting up yet?” At Grillby’s slow shake of his head, Papyrus turned back to Reddi with a smile. “I can close up for you, go ahead and enjoy the rest of your day!”

“See ya.”

Papyrus waited until the door opened and closed before resuming his light touches along the contours of Grillby’s face. He finally settled on resting his hands under Grillby’s chin, stroking his thumbs around the edge as he took in an unnecessary breath. 

“So my dad died when I was 10.” 

Grillby’s eyes opened wide in shock, staring up at Papyrus with his mouth open. “...What?!”

“It was something work-related, I think. One day he went off to work, and then he--well, he never came back.”

“...Oh my gosh, I--” Grillby sat up, taking care not to bump his head against Papyrus’ skull on the way-- “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even know.”

Papyrus frowned, making grabbing motions with his hands. Confused, Grillby scooted in close, barely holding in a surprised squeak as Papyrus adjusted him so that his back was flush with Papyrus’ ribcage. He couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his mouth as Papyrus’s arms wrapped around his middle securely, the warmth of his sweater making Grillby want to snuggle in deeper. 

“It’s okay, it was a long time ago,” He murmured, rubbing his nasal bone into Grillby’s neck. “Sure, I miss him sometimes, but I always had Sans around. To be a little honest, Sans was a better dad than our own was.”

“...Oh?”

“Our dad was very...scatterbrained. He used to take me to school when I first started, but most of the time he actually forgot to make sure I was in the car before he left. Luckily Sans had a bike.”

“...So what happened after he died?”

Papyrus shifted his body slightly behind Grillby, stilling when he seemed to be more comfortable. “Well, Sans was in college when dad died, but since it was close by he lived at home. He left behind a trust fund, so we didn’t have to move and Sans could continue to go to college. Once he started working on his Master’s degree I would visit him after school and he would teach me about engineering--in a more digestible format for a young teenager, of course.”

Grillby tried to imagine a younger Sans teaching Papyrus about forces and inertia, but he just couldn’t comprehend Sans  _ actually  _ being helpful. Then again, he couldn’t imagine himself doing much either, but he knew that if he and Fuku were put in that situation that he would do whatever was necessary to make sure that she was fed and cared for. But he couldn’t even imagine trying to balance that while in college… 

“...Sans is a good big brother.”

“I know!” Papyrus said happily. “I’m really fortunate to have him; he made me the monster I am today!” He squeezed Grillby around his middle before releasing him.  “Anyway, that’s my story, it’s your turn now!”

Grillby looked down. “...After yours, mine feels silly.”

“It obviously bothers you, so I don't think it’s silly at all. Here--change places with me; I think the cuddling helps make it easier to talk.”

The two of them awkwardly switched places so that Grillby was leaning against the opposite arm of the couch with Papyrus reclining against his chest. Grillby raised his arms to wrap them around him but hesitated as he tried to figure out just   _ where _ would be the best place to do it. He recalled vividly the last time he accidentally touched Papyrus’ spine so he instantly ruled that out. Maybe his rib cage? No, that angle would be way too high and awkward. After mentally going through a few more scenarios, he finally settled for lacing his fingers with Papyrus on either side of him.

“...Okay, where to start. Well, my dad is a chemist.”

“Wowie! That’s fantastic!” 

“...Yeah, he’s something else,” Grillby muttered, feeling his flames start to flare up just at the thought of him. “...But because he’s a chemist, and his dad was a chemist, and  _ his  _ dad was a chemist, he wants me to follow in his footsteps.”

“I’m guessing you don’t want to do that?”

Grillby shook his head. “...I wanted to become an art major and specialize in Metal Welding, but the only way my mother would pay for me to go to school was if I did something academic. ‘Make something of yourself, art won’t pay the bills Grillby’, she tells me that every time I go home. It’s kind of...stressful.” 

“So your dad is mad at you because you don’t want to study what he did, and your mom is mad at you because you wanted to major in something non-academic?”

“...Mhm. They allowed me to go into Material Science, the closest major I could find that would still allow me to dabble in welding, with the promise that I wouldn’t slack on my classwork. Of course, every time I go home they have to remind me of how amazing they are for giving me such an opportunity.” 

“Of course.” Papyrus rubbed Grillby’s fingers in sympathy. “It sucks that you have to deal with that.”

Grillby nuzzled the top of Papyrus’ head softly, pressing soft kisses to the smooth bone. “...It’s not the best, but at least I still have Fuku on my side at home--and now, you here. If I could, I just wouldn’t go home except for when the school year was over, but I can’t do anything about the dorms.” 

Papyrus hummed in agreement, leaning his head back further into Grillby’s chest and closing his sockets. Grillby followed suit, resting on the firm couch end. He let himself relax under Papyrus’ weight, feeling his underlying anxiety ebb away from his body. It was liberating, being able to tell someone else about his problems, and talking to Papyrus just felt...natural. 

“...Thank you.”

Papyrus furrowed his brow bone and opened his sockets a smidge, the faint light from his eye-lights peeking through the small space. “What for? I wasn’t really able to be helpful to you other than listening...Oh!” He sprung forward, narrowly missing a collision with Grillby as he got to his feet. Papyrus put his hands on his hips in one of his typical poses, ‘nyeh’ing happily. With the fashionable dress that Papyrus decided to wear today, Grillby thought he looked rather cute. “I’ve figured out how to help you!”

“...Oh yeah?”

“Yes! It’s perfect, as you can expect any plan of mine to be, of course.”

“...You’re right.” Grillby chuckled. “...So, what’s the plan?”

“You could stay with me after the dorms close! That way, you won’t have to rush home and you can wait until maybe the day before Gyftmas to go back.”

Grillby sat up fully as he processed Papyrus’ suggestion. If he were to stay with Papyrus, it really would take a huge load off his shoulders. “...But what about Undyne and Alphys?”

“They’re traveling after Alphys finishes proctoring exams for the classes she’s TA’ing.”

“...And you’re okay with me crashing at your apartment?”

“Of course I am! Without Undyne and Alphys there the house will be too quiet! Besides--” Papyrus looked away as his cheeks filled with his light orange magic-- “I...might’ve been looking forward to spending more time with you...alone.”

It was Grillby’s turn to blush at the implications, though it’s not like he wasn’t thinking the exact same thing. He was always curious about what Papyrus looked like under all of his sweaters and such, but lately, it’s been stronger than ever. Probably because of their increased intimacy, he guessed? “...Well, I’d love to stay with you for a few days, of course, if it’s alright with you.”

“It’s perfect!” Papyrus squealed, eye-lights shimmering with glee as he hopped a little on his feet. “We’re going to have so much fun!”

As his mouth curled into a smile from watching Papyrus cheer, Grillby couldn’t help but agree with him.


	17. Winter break: START!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break's started, and the two spend their first day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags for chapter: heavy makeouts, more romantic tropes, cute fluff, Grillby’s general anxiety (feel like this should just be a tag for the overall fic)
> 
> ALSO GUYS HOLY SHIT CHECK THIS SHIT OUT, I RECEIVED MY FIRST FAN ART FOR LATTE LAST WEEK [ HERE ](https://kerangkatelanjang.tumblr.com/post/171592705377/is-it-weird-to-ask-for-grillby-x-pap-here) and I just ;;;;;;;;;;;;;; I don't think I'll ever not cry about it! I love themmmmm and I appreciate you and AAAAAAAA thank you <3!

Grillby sighed as he sat down on his bed, looking at the nearly full suitcase beside him. He woke up earlier than usual to start packing, and somehow it _still_ took almost the entire morning. It wasn’t like he was packing up to leave his dorm room for the summer or anything, but there was just so much he had to consider this time around. Usually, when he went home he would just grab his Gyftmas sweater and whatever clothing was closest to the surface in his drawer, but now he wanted to at least make sure he looked decent for Papyrus!

He peered inside the case at the first couple of shirts that were on top of the pile. They were fine, right? Oh god, maybe he should compare them all again…

A buzzing sound came from his phone, and Grillby leaned over to his nightstand to grab it. After glancing quickly at the caller id, he connected the call and pressed the phone to his head.

“[Hey, what’s up?]”

“ _What is this I hear about you not coming home yet?”_ Fuku’s irritated voice answered him. Her breathing was slightly labored, flames sparking more irregularly than usual into the receiver, and he wondered for a second if she had literally just run up to her room to call him after hearing the news from their parents.

“[Papyrus offered to let me stay with him for a few days so I could avoid home for a little longer. Jealous?]” Grillby smirked, even though he knew she wouldn’t be able to see him.

“ _Yes! How could you--hold on.”_ A loud slam sounded in the background, along with the rustling of fabric as she came back to the phone. “ _How dare you leave me alone with them here by myself. It’s already awkward enough during the school year when you aren’t here, but now I can’t escape! I have to like...hang out with them. And talk with them, ugh.”_

“[At least they talk to you.]”

_“I would kill to be in your position.”_

Grillby eyed the phone dubiously. “[Would you, though? Would you really?]”

 _“Okay, no. I’d rather stay on their good side. But STILL. Ugh, I am jealous!”_ Fuku huffed. _“When are you coming home then?”_

“[Uh...somewhere on the 24th, and then I’ll probably leave on the 26th or the 27th, whenever’s the earliest they’ll allow me to leave.]”

“ _So...oh, I only really have to deal with them for a few days, okay that’s easy. Wait, sorry I mean--”_ Fuku heaved out a largely fake sob, hiccuping around her words to sound more authentic-- “ _Whatever shall I do without you, Big Brother? I don’t know if I’ll last! I’ll die, and you’ll have your own little sister’s death on your conscious forever!”_

Grillby sighed, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he tried not to laugh at Fuku’s theatrics. “[You know if you die I can’t bring your corpse to meet Papyrus.]” He pointed out.

“ _Shit, you’re right.”_

“[Wow, watch your damn language, Fuku. Where in the hell did you pick that up?]”  

Fuku laughed dryly. “ _Haha, funny. So, you ARE still going to bring me with you to meet Papyrus, right?”_

“[Of course. I promised, didn’t I? I think I’m pretty trustworthy.]”

“ _Uh-huh, you're so trustworthy. Anyway, I’m going to let you go. Make sure you don’t look like a scrub in front of Papyrus; just because you’re dating doesn’t mean you can slack off!”_

“[Okay, see you.]”

Grillby hung up the phone and placed it back on the table, letting his sister’s words sink in. She really didn’t think he was that bad, did she?

“...Maybe I’ll check these one more time…” Grillby muttered to himself, leaning over to re-assess everything in his suitcase, _again._

* * *

 It was around half-past eleven when Grillby finally found himself on Papyrus’ doorstep, his suitcase full of newly-approved clothing and other essentials for traveling. He shivered lightly as he rapped on the door, cursing the sudden cold front that decided to blow through that week. He had checked the weather earlier that day and knew he should’ve been using his thicker scarf for cover, but he had unfortunately left it in his dorm. At least he might have Papyrus to snuggle with...

The door opened as his mind started to run away with him, displaying the actual subject of his fascinations.

“Grillby, you made it!” Papyrus chirped happily, gesturing for him to come inside. “I was starting to worry!”

Grillby followed Papyrus into the house, dragging his suitcase in and placing it flush against the wall as he took off his shoes. Out of the corner of his eye he appraised Papyrus’ outfit casually: a simple long sleeved shirt, black leggings, and a nice colorful scarf to bring the whole outfit together. Stylish and comfy, a good nine out of ten--as if he would give Papyrus anything less.  “...Yeah sorry, I got distracted with packing, and then Fuku called.”

“Oh? How is she?”

Grillby shrugged. “...Her usual bratty self.” He glanced around the living room, noting the lack of noise and activity. “...Did Undyne and Alphys already leave?”

“No no, they simply went to purchase snacks for the road, so they should be back soon. Here, we can put this in my room for now,” Papyrus said, picking up Grillby’s suitcase. Grillby followed him into his bedroom, watching as he set it down underneath his desk on its back. “It’ll be right here for you!”

“...Thank you.” Grillby eyed the bed, wrestling with his thoughts for a split second before sitting down on the plush top. He was allowed to do this, wasn’t he?

He looked up as Papyrus came over and sat down beside him, reaching out to lace their fingers together. His flames crackled happily when Papyrus reciprocated and he rubbed his thumbs over the individual joints that made up Papyrus’ metacarpals.

“Your hands are always so warm,” Papyrus whispered happily.

“...The perks of being a flame elemental I guess. Shame about the whole ‘no water’ thing though.” Grillby moved his arms up in a shrugging position, pulling Papyrus’ hands along with him to rest on his shoulders. His SOUL fluttered happily with the movement as he wanted nothing more than to pull Papyrus into his hold, but the front door slamming outside the room made them both start.

“Guess they’re back, shall we go keep them company?”

“...I guess.”

The two reluctantly parted, sharing one more look before heading to the living room.

Grillby wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when Papyrus said they were shopping for snacks, but bags and bags full of sugary food and soft drinks was not at the top of his list. This stuff looked like enough to last a few _days_ , nevermind a few hours on the road. He sat on the one edge of the couch that wasn’t littered with bags and clothing, while Papyrus sat on the floor and used his legs as a cushion.

He watched Undyne run back and forth, grabbing snack bags and whisking them away to...somewhere, before shifting his attention to Alphys, who was standing in the middle of the room, wringing her hands nervously.

“...Alphys? Are you okay?” Grillby called out.

Alphys jumped backward, nearly colliding with the television before righting herself. “A-a-ah! S-sorry, you s-s-scared me, ahaha…”

“...What’s up? Here, come and sit, just watching you over there is making me jittery.”

Alphys glanced off to the side, clutching her arms as she mentally fought with herself over what to do. After a moment she seemed to make a decision as she walked over to the couch, eyeing the state of it with distress. Not wanting to add onto whatever was bothering her, Grillby made the quick choice of nudging Papyrus softly into turning around, and then slid down into his lap, leaving his space free for her.  

“O-oh, you didn’t--sorry, you didn’t h-have to,” Alphys said softly, but took the kind gesture and sat down.

“What’s wrong Alphys? You look frightened-- well, more than usual!” Papyrus stated, pulling Grillby closer and wrapping his arms around him tightly. Grillby blushed at the action, trying not to let his fired up state show too much as the edges of his flames flared. He was here for his friend damn it, he could gush over cuddling later!

The action seemed to soothe Alphys though, who let out a barely disguised squeal. “Gosh, you two are just--um, so c-cute! I c-can’t write to start writing my--writing my f-friendfiction!”

Grillby fought the urge to facepalm, instead placing his hand politely on Alphys’ knee. “...At least wait until we aren’t in the same room. So, what’s up?”

“Oh, right. Uh…” Alphys heaved out a large sigh. “S-so, we’re going to Undyne’s for the, um, the break. It’s not my f-first time there but her f-family…”

“...Intense?” Grillby guessed.

Alphys nodded, clutching her tail close to her. “They’re ve-very spirited, b-but nice! I should be fine, if I, uh, if I distract myself f-from the chaos.”

“...Good luck.”

“Hey babe, can you come here for a sec?” Undyne called from the other room.  

Alphys gave the two of them a grateful look before excusing herself, quickly shuffling towards her shared bedroom. Grillby leaned his head back against Papyrus, placing a quick kiss against his jaw as he thought about Alphys’ plight. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how overwhelming this trip was for her; he could barely handle one dose of Undyne, nevermind...however many people she had in her family. It wouldn’t surprise him if they were all just as doting on her as Undyne was, though. _Must be nice to have a functioning family._

As if sensing his souring mood, Papyrus began placing chaste kisses on the side of his neck. He arched into the touch, tilting his head slightly in an attempt to redirect Papyrus’ attention from that area. “...It’s ticklish.”

“Oh? In that case--” Papyrus held Grillby tightly and began to pepper the area with his teeth, giggling when Grillby began to struggle in his hold. “Oh wow, you really are ticklish, aren’t you?”

Grillby nodded, wheezing small puffs of smoke out of his open mouth as he tried to shrink away from the touch, but Papyrus was relentless. Short barks of laughter finally escaped him as Papyrus kept up his kissing assault, adding in his fingers to dance along Grillby’s sides. His body squirmed violently as he lost his balance in Papyrus’ hold, bracing against the couch. “...P-please, have mercy!” He tried to vocalize, but instead, a series of crackles and snaps came out instead.

Just when Grillby felt like he was going to metaphorically die Papyrus finally eased up on him, maneuvering him so that Grillby was straddling his lap. Papyrus’ hands rubbed up and down his back as he took huge breaths of air to regulate himself, stray chuckles tumbling out of his mouth here and there. “Are you okay?” Papyrus finally asked, brushing over one of Grillby’s eyes with his thumb.

“...I’m fine,” Grillby said after a moment to gather his magic back to speak. “...Wait no, I mean, ‘I could’ve died.’” He deadpanned, exaggerating his smile for Papyrus’ sake.

Papyrus cupped the side of his face tenderly, turning his head for a quick minute to check down the hallway before coming back to nuzzle underneath his chin. “Poor Grillby. Do not fret, Papyrus is here to make it better with kisses!”

“...You’re the one who--a-ahh,” Grillby tapered off as Papyrus’ opened his mouth and grazed the nape of his neck with something cold and slimy. His whole body trembled as Papyrus’ hands tightened around his back, holding him possessively as he pulled away just enough to peer into Grillby’s eyes. The area Papyrus left behind tingled with foreign magic, agitating his flames into flaring up around it. It was a reaction that Grillby had never witnessed before, and would’ve been more interested in observing it, had Papyrus’ gaze not held such an intensity behind it. It was as if Grillby was Papyrus’ prey caught in his web, ready to be eaten by a hungry predator. His core lurched violently as his breath hitched, an overwhelming need to be touched flooding his SOUL, but fortunately, the nagging thought of Papyrus’ roommates kept him in check for now.

Ignoring the beginnings of a particular problem in his pants, Grillby reluctantly pulled away, giving Papyrus an apologetic smile. “...Your roommates are still around.”

“You're right, I should go check on them.”

Grillby braced himself against the carpet as he stood, offering a hand to help Papyrus to his feet. Once Papyrus had rounded the corner to talk to the girls, he let himself inwardly squeal where he stood, his flames growing and spreading the more he thought about how eerie close that moment had been to ones that he read in his romance books. Maybe some elements of those stories were true after all?!  He idly rubbed at the spot where Papyrus’ tongue had been, noticing that the odd tingle was gone. Based on his body’s reactions to the action, Grillby was sure it wasn’t harmful, and he honestly wanted to feel it more.

Before long Papyrus returned to the living room with Undyne and Alphys, the latter looking much calmer. They carried out their travel bags, the small snack bags threatening to fall out of the haphazardly-closed zippers and spill to the ground. “...All set?” Grillby asked.

“Yep!” Undyne grinned, giving them a thumbs up. “Bags and snacks are packed and we are ready to rumble!”

Grillby waved as Papyrus followed the girls to the door, giving them last minute advice on their drive down. _He’s like a mother hen,_ Grillby thought passively as he watched him fret over Undyne’s apparent lack of more suitable outerwear. After a few more minutes of Papyrus making sure they had all of their bags, Undyne and Alphys left, leaving him and Papyrus alone.

Papyrus lingered in the doorway, waiting until the sound of squealing tires had left before he turned to Grillby, eye-lights flickering as he stalked over. Grillby barely had a chance to blink before Papyrus was on him, teeth pressed against his mouth and tugging him over to the couch. They parted from each other just long enough for Papyrus to drag him into his lap, and Grillby didn't even hesitate to initiate the kiss again, tongues colliding as they tried to press closer to one another.

“...Is it bad that I was waiting for them to leave?” Grillby murmured breathlessly, hands tangled in Papyrus’ scarf as he tried in futile to pull it over his skull. Papyrus chuckled lowly, taking the fabric from Grillby and deftly pulling it off each loop at a time until it laid in a pile beside them.

“I don’t think so--” He slid his hands along the gentle curves of Grillby’s flames until they landed on his ass, groaning in barely contained relief-- “since I was basically shoving them out the door myself.”

Grillby lowered his head before Papyrus could stop him, breathing hotly against his neck. He darted out his tongue and lapped at a space between two connecting bones, receiving a gasp in return from the sensation. Papyrus’ hands tightened against his bottom as he stretched his neck out more for Grillby to access, which he took gratefully. He wrapped his arms around Papyrus and latched onto the back of his shirt as his tongue traced patterns along the ridges of his vertebrae, eyes closing as he took in Papyrus’ soft noises and moans.

“Ohhh my god, god that feels so good,” Papyrus praised, his usually loud voice lowered to a whisper and body rocking against Grillby’s as his hands burrowed themselves underneath Grillby’s shirt (which he swore he tucked in before this, sneaky Papyrus) to play in Grillby’s bare flames.

There was a far-off sound that Grillby ignored as he mouthed at the delicious collarbone peeking out from Papyrus’ shirt, cock fully hardening at the strangled yelp _that_ action had produced; something that Grillby mentally filed away for later, assuming that he’d be able to remember anything other than the allure of pale bones and the feeling of a hand slowly heading down his body towards a new destination. With each touch Grillby felt the heat grow deep in the pit of his core, fueling his flames so that they grew larger, hotter, curling around Papyrus and licking at his bones, which only seemed to turn him on more. Just as Grillby was considering which bones he should sample next, someone coughed behind him.

“I, uh...I’m clearly intruding, aren’t I?”

“UNDYNE?!” Papyrus yelled, mortified, as he ripped his hands from Grillby’s body and on reflex pushed Grillby out of his lap straight to the ground. Grillby grunted as his back collided with the ground, too dazed to do anything more than lay there in confusion.  

“...Why?” He finally croaked out.

“Aha, well we, Alphys and I--mostly Alphys--we accidentally left um...you know what, fuck it.” Undyne, avoiding making eye contact with either of them, walked over to the couch, stepping over Grillby and shoving her hand between two cushions beside Papyrus to fish out a small phone, pink with an unnecessary amount of charms dangling from it. “Got it so uh, you two can continue doing…” She trailed off, vaguely gesturing.

Papyrus had buried his head in his hands at some point during the encounter. “Yes thank you, Undyne.”

Undyne was halfway out of the living when she looked back, flicking her eye quickly between the two of them with a blush. “I gotta say, I wasn't expecting Papyrus to be the one topping--”

“ _Goodbye,_ Undyne.”

Silence fell upon the house as the two stewed in their embarrassment, squealing tires cutting through the air. It was quite some time after the noise had faded before Grillby spoke up; “...Want to watch something?”

* * *

After the shame had finally dwindled down to something manageable, the two curled up on the couch together, Grillby sprawled over in Papyrus’ lap. They flicked on the television and lazily browsed the channels until Papyrus stopped on some cooking show marathon. When Grillby had asked Papyrus why he picked it, he only received a shrug in response.

“I don’t know, I just like watching people cook.”

“...Fair enough.”

The premise of the show had seemed simple enough from a cursory glance; each round the contestants were given a specific item that they were forced to cook with by the host, a sleek box robot (which didn’t make much sense to Grillby; could robots even taste food?) that spent a lot of time monologuing to the camera. Ignoring that, a glaring problem Grillby found was that not all of the items the host had chosen were really...edible.  In one specific round of maybe the third or fourth episode, the host had made the contestants cook with glitter, which was ironically when Grillby quickly lost interest in the show and decided to nap. Papyrus, however, was entranced, tapping Grillby’s shoulder every now and again to show him the ingenuity of a competitor surprising the judges with a particularly interesting concoction.

After a bit of time, Papyrus gently shook him awake, apologizing as he held Grillby’s head up long enough for him to slip out and get off of the couch. Grillby rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the light overhead. He let out a soft groan as he struggled to get up, but settled for draping himself over the arm of the couch and simply existing until he remembered how to monster again.

When he finally felt like he could function, Grillby lugged himself off the couch and took a moment to stretch, arms raised above his head as high as they would go and heels rising off the floor. He meandered into the kitchen, expression softening when caught sight of Papyrus, apron tied tight around him and kneading something soft on the counter.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Papyrus called over his shoulder.

Grillby walked over behind him, wrapping his arms around his middle and resting his chin on Papyrus’ collarbone. “...What are you cooking?”

“Tortellini, do you like it?”

He nodded, snuggling his face into Papyrus’ neck with a yawn. “...s’good.”

“Grillby.” Papyrus sighed, affectionately tilting his head into Grillby’s flames. “I have to cook, and it’ll be dangerous for you over here soon.”

“...Are you shooing me out of the kitchen?”

“In a nice way, at least!”

Grillby couldn’t help himself from snorting at that, but released Papyrus anyway and wandered back to the couch. He didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep again until Papyrus sunk into the cushions next to him, waiting until he was fully awake to offer him his plate.

“You’re so sleepy today,” Papyrus cooed. “Are you alright?”

“...Yeah, I just woke up earlier than usual to pack,” Grillby admitted over a mouthful of food. Papyrus made a sound of acknowledgment, and the rest of the meal passed by in a comfortable daze.

When Papyrus left to clean up the kitchen, Grillby decided that it would be a good time to change into his pajamas for the night. After convincing himself to part with the cozy cushions for the greater good of even cozier clothing, Grillby headed for Papyrus’ room and fished out his suitcase from under the desk. He unzipped it, carefully moving clothing around until he caught sight of his favorite pair of sweatpants. Grillby pulled them and a tank top out of the case and nudged it back under before heading to the bathroom to change, taking great care in dressing as far away from the sink and bathtub as he could.

After he finished he returned to the bedroom and found Papyrus standing on the other side of the bed, already pajama-clad and arms crossed over his rib cage as he looked down at it with a frown. Grillby tilted his head curiously at the bed, mind trying to puzzle through why Papyrus would be focusing on it so intently. Was it not okay? Did he think that it wasn’t big enough for--

Oh.

That’s right.

_They were going to have to share the bed._

Grillby wasn’t sure why the thought hadn't crossed his mind earlier, but now he couldn’t stop himself from thinking up all the different ways he could mess this up. Sure they had cuddled together, snuggled, and even made out, but for some reason sharing a bed just felt like an entirely new beast, a step that he wasn’t sure he could do or not.

His eyes focused back on the bed, anxiety bubbling inside as he looked back at Papyrus. Hopefully, he could try and play it off casually. _Be cool._ “...So. There’s the bed.”

Papyrus glanced back at him, cheeks dusted a light orange. “Yes, it is the soft object that is made for sleep.”

“...And we’re going to sleep on it.”

“Yes.”

“...Together.”

“Indeed.”

Grillby clutched the bottom of his shirt, wringing it between his hands as he averted his eyes. The air was thick with tension, enough that he was sure he would need a butcher knife to cut through it all. “...Maybe we could...put this off for now?”

“Oh my gosh thank you.” Papyrus let out a big breath that he didn’t need to, rubbing the back of his skull. “Whew, I was really nervous there, but I wanted to look cool for you!”

Grillby chuckled, his SOUL slowing down to a healthier pulse. “...Yeah, it was nerve-wracking for me too. Now that we’ve decided that, I’ll go sleep on the couch.”

“Wait, hold on!” Papyrus cried, eye-lights nearly bulging out of their sockets.” I will not put my guest AND datemate on the couch! I, of course, will take the couch.”

“...Papyrus, I’m not going to put you out of your bed _again_. I still feel bad about last time.”

“Well I’m not going to sleep in my bed knowing that you might be uncomfortable on the couch,” Papyrus said, folding his arms over his rib cage like an angry child. It would've been cute if he wasn’t so stubborn.

“...Let’s share the bed then. That’s the only way we’ll both be happy.”

“I agree.” Papyrus got into the bed, perching himself on the very edge before looking up at Grillby expectantly. “Your turn.”

Finding no way to escape, Grillby slipped into the bed as well, balancing himself on his edge of the bed. He pulled the covers up to his face before staring into Papyrus’ eye-lights.

“Comfy?”

“...Yeah.”

“Good!”

“...”

“...”

“...We forgot to turn the light out.”

Papyrus cursed under his breath as he unfurled the sheets from his body and slipped out of bed. Grillby watched in amusement as Papyrus stomped over to the bedroom door and swung it shut. The lights went out a moment later, leaving Grillby’s body to glow in the darkness.

“Wowie,” He heard Papyrus exclaim behind him, making him blush slightly.

“...It’s not too bright, is it?” Grillby asked. “...I’ve never had to worry about this before.”

Papyrus crawled back into bed, opening his arms towards him in invitation. Even though he was wracked with anxiety and indecision, Grillby couldn’t help but listen to the part of his brain that screamed at him to move closer, and so he slowly shuffled towards the middle of the bed until he was within Papyrus’ reach. His SOUL fluttered happily, nearly bursting out of his core when Papyrus pulled him in close and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I think you're perfect. Let's sleep?”

“... Yeah, okay. Good night, Papyrus.”

“Night Grillby!”

Even though he couldn't imagine relaxing being so close to Papyrus like this, Grillby eventually fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deep into fandom trope trash, help meeee. Also, these two adorably interacting in the kitchen is my life-blood and I cry all the time about it, god they're so cute


	18. An Eventful Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby gains some valuable insight into skeleton monster biology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has very little plot hahaha. If for some reason you're just here for the plot and not for the steamy situations, I'll put a summary at the bottom :)
> 
> Tags: dry humping, masturbation, gayyyyy

Grillby woke up on his side, which was unusual for him since he usually slept on his back. Instead of opening his eyes to the still unfamiliar waffle-y texture of Papyrus’ ceiling, the sight of the wall and blurry posters greeted him--blueprints, if he remembered correctly. 

He was enveloped in a cool embrace, Papyrus’ lanky limbs poking him uncomfortably as he draped over Grillby’s figure. Craning his head down, Grillby saw the pure white of Papyrus’ arms holding him close to his ribcage as if he might disappear. He went to shift his body, wanting to see Papyrus' possibly adorable sleeping face but found the grip fairly solid. After struggling in the hold for a few moments Grillby paused when Papyrus shifted in his sleep and his eyes widened as something strangely hard dug into his backside. Papyrus’ bones rattled softly from the movement, thankfully covering the soft gasp that Grillby let out when he realized just exactly what was rubbing against him. 

Grillby’s mind whirled with emotions and thoughts, most of them centered around the fact that Papyrus did, in fact, have a penis. It was always something that sort of laid dormant in the back of his head as a possible question to ask, but there was no way for him to organically bring it up in conversation. He tried secretly looking up how skeletons monsters mated to gain some insight into the process and answer some of his more burning questions, but never found more than a few diagrams of unclothed skeletons, which while nice (if he imagined they were Papyrus), didn't exactly help him figure it out. Recently he had been entertaining the idea of letting his touches wander towards that part of Papyrus’ body when they were together, but every time he tried he got anxious and worried over the possibilities, so he never went farther than Papyrus’ back. 

Grillby knew that no matter what he loved Papyrus and they would've figured it out, penis or no penis, but now that he was literally being prodded with the truth he couldn't stop himself from churning through the possibilities. He imagined Papyrus holding him tight against his chest, hand pumping between Grillby's legs with him screaming in bliss as he took Papyrus...well, up the ass, he guessed? There wasn't anywhere else for him, right? Perhaps he should maybe do some research on anal sex? 

Before he could allow his thoughts to go further Papyrus was squirming again, and he held back a soft moan when Papyrus’ hips moved. He knew that Papyrus didn't really ‘breathe’ the way he did but he could've sworn that he felt a cool breeze on the nape of his neck, and maybe that was the reason that he found himself accidentally grinding back against him. 

“nnngg…”

_ Fuck fuck fuck.  _ Grillby cursed his lack of foresight, forcing his body to freeze as Papyrus adjusted, murmuring softly. Did he wake up? Grillby held his breath, hoping that the natural sounds of his flames wouldn’t agitate the other.

“Mmm… Grillby…” 

Wait, why was he calling Grillby’s name? Grillby’s hands gripped onto Papyrus’ forearms as he felt Papyrus’ length prod insistently at his rear end, and he clamped his mouth shut to prevent himself from interrupting whatever he happened to be experiencing. Was Papyrus still asleep? 

Papyrus pulled him even closer, hips never stopping as he buried his face into the back of his neck. Despite trying to keep himself together, Grillby’s flames flared outward from the attention, his own cock standing proudly between his clenched legs as Papyrus’ whimpered pleas reached him, along with whispers of his name in between. There was no doubt in his mind that Papyrus was deep in the throes of a wet dream, and there really wasn’t anything that Grillby could do about it. Waking him up could be...well, why couldn’t he wake Papyrus up?

“Grill...plea..se…”

Right, those desperate sounds were turning him on immensely, that was why. God, there was he wanted to do more than to have Papyrus all over him, touching and bringing him to the height of ecstasy, but Grillby knew that if he tried to move it would break the illusion. So instead, he decided to indulge in the opportunity a little. 

Slowly removing one of his hands from Papyrus’ forearm, Grillby carefully lifted his leg under the covers, slipping his hand underneath to snake down the front of his pants. His fingers encountered his dick, the head of which was slick with lava dribbling from the tip. Grillby’s flames pulsed when he wrapped his hand around the length firmly, wishing that he could give in to the friction that it brought him; he never did like to tease himself with this sort of thing. But wanting to make sure Papyrus stayed in his current state kept him from going too wild, simply holding himself as he waited with baited breath for what would happen next. 

Lucky for him Papyrus never disappointed, even in his sleep. Adjusting for Grillby's new position, Papyrus dragged his phalanges down Grillby's body to the edge of his shirt and then under it to caress his bare torso, sighing happily from the contact. The angle of his hips changed, so instead of prodding him directly Papyrus’ clothed erection slid along the curve of his ass. He seemed to like that if the quickened breaths and increased volume were anything to go by. 

“... Pa…pyrus.” Grillby shivered slightly as he tried Papyrus’ name on his tongue, finding himself unable to stop himself from finally thrusting into his hand. He kept his pace slow, relying more on his hand moving than his body, but somehow Papyrus was still perceptive unconscious, and his actions adjust to match Grillby. 

“Uhn….yes, grill..by……just like...that.”

“[Fuck, Papyrus…]” 

Reduced to the quiet crackles and pops of his native language, Grillby threw his head back, hissing as his hand moved over his cock faster. More lava had dribbled out of Grillby's cock, smeared over the shaft to provide an adequate lubrication to the whole affair. His hand squelched lewdly with each pass of his hand but Grillby was past the point of caring, wanting only to hear more of Papyrus and the sinful moans of his name. He closed his eyes as he imagined that it was Papyrus’ hand on his dick, showing Grillby his superior skill. 

“[Papyyyy…]”

“Ah, Grillby…!”

Grillby’s body jolted from his name being called in  _ that  _ way, unintentionally jerking Papyrus awake in the process. “Mmm, Grillby…? What’s going on?” 

Flames turning bright blue, Grillby quickly ripped his hand out of his pants, suddenly very conscious of his SOUL’s frantic beat as he desperately hoped that Papyrus didn't notice… 

Papyrus shifted as he became more alert, and it wasn't until Grillby heard a small gasp that he knew Papyrus finally noticed his unconscious efforts. “I… _ oh.”  _ In his confusion Papyrus unwittingly flexed his erection, and Grillby, caught off guard by the movement, moaned in retaliation. “ _ Oh my God,”  _ Papyrus breathed, horror lacing into his voice as he quickly let go and scooted out of the bed. “Grillby oh gosh, I am so sorry.”

Grillby flipped over to tell him it was alright, but his words caught in his mouth as he was gifted with the beautiful sight of Papyrus, who was deep orange from embarrassment. His stance was apologetic right down to the hands clasped over his teeth, but his pants betrayed his lustful feelings as a large tent graced the front of his pants. Grillby couldn't help but bring attention to it with his awed stare, causing Papyrus to look down in shock. 

“I-I-I…I’mgoingtotakeashower!” Papyrus stuttered, just about flinging himself to the door and ripping it open. 

Caught in a daze, Grillby mentally filed the sight away for later jerk-off material, using his hands to smooth back the frenzied flames on the top of his head. He rolled over onto his back, sighing as he pieced together what just happened. They were sleeping, he woke up to Papyrus fucking dry humping him --which was probably the hottest thing he had ever witnessed in his life--, and now he was gone doing…

Grillby craned his head to listen, hearing a sudden far-off splashing sound. Right, shower. What did skeletons even have to wash? Could he be...masturbating?

…

Oh my god, he was totally masturbating, holy shit. His cock throbbed painfully from the mental image his mind provided, reminding him of his own problem. He knew that if he ignored it that it would  _ eventually  _ go away, but god he was so turned on, and his hand was  _ right there.  _ On the flipside, if he did decide to indulge himself --in Papyrus bed, he added mentally because that was an important thing to remember here--, he would have to deal with the mess that he left behind when he usually...came. Sure it would disappear after a while since it was magic but what were the chances that Papyrus might walk in while he was still visible? How would he explain that?

Okay, he needed to find something to masturbate with, since apparently, this was a thing he was going to do. Grillby heaved himself up to his knees, idly palming the tent in his pants as he surveyed the room for options. Not wanting to dare defile any of Papyrus’ things (while he might’ve been desperate, he wasn’t a pervert), he focused on what he had near his suitcase. 

Sock? No, no, way too gross.

Pants? He needed those for later, and he really wasn’t up to wearing clothing that he had come all over just hours before.

...Shirt?

It’ll work.

Harnessing the amount of energy that he never knew was available to him before 10 AM, Grillby scrambled over to the side of the bed, grabbing his shirt from the day prior off of the pile. Once he was back on the bed again, Grillby wasted no time in crouching on his hands and knees, laying the shirt underneath his hips like a tarp and pulling down the front of his pants enough to release his neglected dick. 

Shame ran through him as he touched himself, focusing on the sweet, solid bones of Papyrus’ body and how perfect his erection felt rubbing against his backside. He fantasized on what it would feel like to have Papyrus inside of him, what his cock would be like and whether it would have the same effect on him that Papyrus’ tongue had on his flames. Was it of the same magic as his tongue? Would his body go wild from it? Maybe it might just...extinguish him?  _ God. _

White smoke billowed out of Grillby’s mouth as his breaths quickened, turning into hot pants as Grillby climbed closer and closer to his release. Getting ready for his finish, Grillby rose up to just his knees, grabbing the shirt in one hand right as the other started to falter. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he orgasmed, back arching and hot lava spewing out of his cock onto the bunched up fabric he held protectively over himself. He held steady as he rode through the bliss of his high, thrusting into the rapidly soddening shirt with loud squelching sounds. 

When his orgasm finally tapered off Grillby pulled his pants back up, repulsion running cold through his body as he quickly disposed of his shirt underneath the bed; he’d make sure to remove it later once all of the magic had a chance to disperse. 

Grillby crawled back under the covers, satisfaction and repulsion battling in his thoughts and making him come to terms with what he just did. Fortunate for him exhaustion beat out both, the adrenaline from his previous activities finally tapering off and leaving him ragged. 

He tilted his head towards the door as he heard the bathroom door unlock and he hoped that his flames weren’t too out of hand when Papyrus walked in, wearing his pajamas but smelling of soap and dripping water from his skull. The two silently regarded each other, Grillby’s mind full of the dirty deeds he had done and the observation of Papyrus’ light flush along his cheekbones. He decided to say something first.

“...So what do you want to do today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Papyrus has a wet dream and unintentionally humps Grillby in his sleep. Grillby enjoys it a lot and starts to touch himself until Papyrus wakes up. Papyrus is appalled and runs off to the shower (implied masturbating), and Grillby masturbates in Papyrus' bed. Both Papyrus and Grillby are embarrassed, so Grillby deflects and asks: “...So what do you want to do today?”


	19. First Dates (Officially)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby and Papyrus spend some time outside of the house and discuss boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry I've been gone for so long but the Papby is back!  
> Tags for this chapter: fluff, humorous skeletal dismemberment, makeouts, sexy times gone wrong (but it gets better), communication, ecto-genitalia (penis, tongue), exploration, dry humping, sensitive bones

With neither of them wanting to address what had happened earlier, Grillby suggested making breakfast for the two of them. Papyrus had initially declined, citing that the house guest shouldn't have to cook, but Grillby swiftly countered with the fact that Papyrus had cooked for him three times already, while he had only been able to cook for him once. It was strong logic that he knew Papyrus wouldn’t be able to argue against, and true to his nature Papyrus had acquiesced begrudgingly and sat at the table while Grillby ransacked the fridge for food options.

Grillby knew that Papyrus was usually extremely well-organized in class and figured that it would transfer nicely over to other aspects of his life, but he was still stunned at the state of his fridge. Everything was so neat and orderly! He wouldn’t have even been surprised in the entire fridge had been categorized by alphabetical order and expiration date. 

Although, now that he looked a little closer, there seemed to be a distinction between what Papyrus consumed and what his roommates consumed, at least Grillby assumed so by the staggering amount of soda and soft drinks at the bottom of the fridge and the milk at the top. The middle of the fridge seemed to be a neutral territory for shared foods such as bacon, bread, and--

“...Avocado?” He mused out loud. 

“You mentioned liking them once, so when I was shopping the other day I decided to pick some up! Is that okay?” Papyrus asked.

Grillby looked at Papyrus over his shoulder, noting that in the time he was busy examining the fridge Papyrus had procured a book from somewhere. “... You remembered?” 

“Of course I did, I remember just about everything you tell me.”

Blushing, Grillby turned back to the fridge, occupying himself with pulling out an avocado along with the pack of bacon and a carton of eggs on the side door. He bought the items to the counter, carefully placing them down one beside the other. 

“... Pan?” 

“Underneath the stove,” Papyrus replied. 

Right, that made sense. Grillby retrieved the pan from the bottom and placed it on the stove, turning the dial to medium heat. After that was done, he crossed his arms, taking a step back to survey his items with a critical eye. He planned to make a breakfast scramble for the two of them, but now that he thought about it, would this be enough food? He was used to making one portion meals for himself, rarely opting to make lunch or dinner for himself and Fuku when he was home if he was feeling particularly grateful to her. However, in Fuku’s case she was small and didn't eat much; Papyrus was literally all bones. From what Grillby could tell Papyrus ate normal portions of what he himself would eat, but would exercising affect what he ate in the morning? Wait, did Papyrus go out to run?

“...Taking a break from running today?” Grillby asked, taking out several eggs and placing them on the counter.

Papyrus laughed, putting his book down and allowing Grillby to peek at the cover, the art of which alluded to some sort of romance novel, one that he wasn’t sure he’s read before. “A break? The Great Papyrus doesn’t take--” He paused, facial features scrunching up as he seemed to think over his statement-- “Oh my god, you’re right. I didn’t run today! Ugh, this has never happened to me before, I can’t believe it.”

Grillby watched Papyrus as he dropped his face into his hands, shoulders slumped and muttering angrily to himself. He didn’t quite understand what the big deal was about; couldn’t he just run at any other time of the day? Maybe it was different when someone had something they did at the same time every day; Grillby never had the discipline needed to do any activity like that so he couldn’t relate. At least he could try and offer a few words of sympathy? “...I’m sorry, it was probably because we slept together--uh, not that in that way, but you know, sharing a bed? That must have been your first time, right? It probably threw off your normal schedule or something like that.” 

Despite the fact that he was babbling nonsense at this point and his face was burning more than usual, Papyrus appeared to have gotten the point. The corners of his teeth tilted upwards in a smile as he regarded Grillby. “You’re right, the change in routine definitely had something to do with it but...well, I wouldn’t mind missing my morning runs more often if it meant I got to wake up to you more often.”

Grillby eked out a small, embarrassed sound as his hand shot up towards his core in an attempt to brace himself against the pure feeling of adoration that shot directly into his SOUL. Seriously, how was Papyrus this cute?! He managed to play it off pretty well (or at least he thought so), stopping himself at the last minute and instead reaching for the pack of bacon. He pulled out a few strips and placed them on the pan, instantly relaxing as the sizzling sound reached him. “...So, will you pick it up later or just brush it off for today?”

“Hmm, well I think I’ll brush it off for today. Usually, I run to burn off the excess magic but for some reason I feel fine? It’s really odd.”

“...That is odd. Maybe it’s because of--”  _ Don’t you dare suggest that it was because of him masturbating, say literally anything else please--  _ “...me?”

Papyrus tilted his head in confusion. “You?”

“...Uh yeah, uhm…” Grillby wracked his head. “Maybe contact with fire elementals has some sort of energy-stabilizing...something? Sorry, I’m talking out of my ass, I’m just going to finish making breakfast.” To prove his point, he turned towards the stove and grabbed a spatula from the drying rack to flip the bacon.

“Grillby, wait, you might have something there!” Grillby heard the scuffle of the chair against the floor and before he could prepare himself Papyrus was hugging him from behind, resting his forehead against the bare flames of his neck. “Hmm, yeah I think there is something definitely soothing about your body, I can feel it!”

“...Are you sure it’s not just from hugging me?” Grillby asked, adjusting Papyrus’ hands to rest on his waist instead of around his arms. He used his newfound mobility to take the bacon off the stove with his (clean!) hands, setting them against the napkin before grabbing the pan with both hands.

Papyrus perked his head up when Grillby maneuvered him, watching him over his shoulder. He shrugged against him. “Maybe, I do like hugging--WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT PAN?!” 

The pan stopped a few inches short of Grillby’s mouth as he halted, meeting Papyrus’ wide eye-lights with a confused stare. “...Uh, taking care of the grease?”

“IN YOUR MOUTH?”

Grillby glanced at the pan, feeling his flames begin to flare up in anticipation at the flavorful liquid gold that graced the bottom. Of all the different types of grease that he had the pleasure to try, bacon grease was at the top of his list, a favorite among favorites.“...Yeah?  It’d be a waste to get rid of it.” 

With that, he brought the side of the pan to his mouth and tilted his head back. Papyrus quickly retreated to his spot at the table, making loud, exaggerated gagging noises as he went. “GROSS!” 

“...You don’t even have the organs necessary to gag,” Grillby chided playfully as he placed the pan back on the stove. 

“The sentiment is still there,” Papyrus deadpanned. 

Grillby chuckled softly, cracking the eggs into the pan. The kitchen was fairly silent as the eggs cooked, and for a moment Grillby had wondered if he went a step too far in his teasing, but a quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that Papyrus had simply gotten lost in his book. 

After the eggs were successfully cooked and the avocado had been mixed in, Grillby split the concoction onto two plates and added the bacon along the edges for a neat appearance. He brought both plates to the table and placed one in front of Papyrus along with a fork. 

Papyrus looked at it dubiously. “Are you sure this isn’t swimming in grease?’

“...Just try it.”

Papyrus poked his fork into the breakfast mass, separating a bit of egg and a chunk of avocado from the rest and popping it into his mouth. He chewed tentatively, expression morphing into one of surprise. “That’s really good!”

“...Breakfast is my specialty,” Grillby replied coolly, though on the inside he was just barely keeping his cool from being praised  _ again _ . He started on his own plate, his gaze flickering back and forth from his plate to watching Papyrus enjoying his food. Was it creepy? Maybe so, but there was something addicting about seeing someone he liked (excluding Fuku) actually enjoying the food he made. 

Unfortunately, Papyrus quickly noticed his fleeting glances. “Is there something on my face?”

“...Nothing.” Grillby quickly scrambled for a subject change. “What do you want to do today?” 

“Hmmm, I don’t have anything planned,” Papyrus replied after a moment. “What about you?”

Grillby did, in fact, have a few ideas on what they could do, ranging from practical things to more...obscene things. There was one particular idea from a few weeks ago that kept surfacing in his thoughts that he did want to do, but would Papyrus even like it? “...I might have something, but only if you’re comfortable with it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah uh...do you remember the conversation from our date when I mentioned my art?”

“I do!” Papyrus smiled happily as his eye-lights glittered in recollection. “Did you find a project to work on? Your favorite thing?” 

Grillby nodded. “...I think I did. Would you like to come with me to the welding lab? Since it’s break I don’t think anyone will notice you’re there.”

“I would love to accompany you!”

The two quickly finished their meal and Grillby left Papyrus to the dishes as he quickly got dressed to leave, remembering at the last minute to pull his shirt out from under the bed and into his ‘dirty’ clothes pile. After a quick look around the house to make sure they weren’t leaving anything critical, Grillby and Papyrus donned their outerwear and stepped out into the freezing cold. 

“...Holy shit, it’s cold,” Grillby rasped out. The flames on the top of his head curled closer to his body to keep his temperature regulated, leaving him to look a little odd, much to Papyrus’ amusement. 

“Oh my god, you look so cute when you’re cold!” Papyrus giggled, reaching up to pull off his scarf. He stepped closer to Grillby, wrapping it around his neck. “Here, I think you need this more than I do.”

Grillby would have blushed at the action, but it was too cold for his flames to react other than a half-hearted flutter in Papyrus’ direction. “...Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome! Shall we go?”

They headed towards campus on foot, and Grillby found himself grateful that Papyrus seemed to be walking faster than usual, probably for his benefit. Instead of a leisurely stroll past the cafe, they were walking briskly, almost to the point of a light jog. They passed the trees that usually obscured the front of the coffee shop with the thick foliage, now devoid of leaves with the winter chill, leaving the branches to sway to and fro with the wind. 

Once they finally made it to the main campus Grillby had quickly pushed Papyrus towards the closest building, tapping his ID to get inside. “...Can we building hop?” Grillby wheezed out as the feeling started to come back to his fingertips. 

Building hopping was a common technique for students to do during the long winter season. Instead of braving the low temperatures while walking through campus, they would instead essentially ‘hop’ from building to building to get to their destination. While it might take a longer time to get to where they needed to go, it was definitely warmer. Grillby figured that Papyrus was a monster who would consider the act a little lazy, and by the complex expression on Papyrus’ face he had the feeling that he was right. He watched Papyrus cycle through different emotions until he seemed to settle onto one of gentle acceptance. “If it’s more comfortable for you, then sure, we can do it. Do you have a route in mind?”

Grillby nodded; he had done this all of last winter so he had an idea of which way would be best for them. “...We have to go through the Sociology and the Math building, and that should bring us close enough.”

“We can get in even though the campus is technically closed?”

“...Yeah, it’s fine, promise.” 

Plan set, Papyrus followed Grillby through the hallways of the building to the side exit and, after making sure they were ready, exited the building and jogged quickly to the next one. Grillby tapped his ID on the reader and entered the Sociology building, again traveling through to the appropriate exit and making their way to the next one. 

When they reached the entrance to the Math building, Grillby swiped his ID against the device and pulled on the door, only for the door to not budge. Confused, Grillby put his card on the reader again, listening out for the telltale sound of the door unlocking, but to his dismay, the only sound that emitted was the small beep of the reader registering his card. “...Do I not have access here?” He turned around to face Papyrus, who looked unbothered by the blistering cold that Grillby was suffering in. “...Can you try your ID?”

“Sure!” Papyrus stepped forward, pulling his wallet out of his jeans pocket and opening it. He retrieved his ID and put it against the reader. Unfortunately, the door still didn’t open. 

“...What the fuck, it’s not like they have anything that could be stolen,” Grillby rasped, crossing his arms tightly over his torso. 

Papyrus shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it anyway; guess we’ll just have to go around the building.”

Grillby sighed, shivering as he tucked his chin further down into the meager warmth of his jacket and Papyrus’ scarf. He pulled his hands into his sleeves and followed Papyrus around the building, which led them through a narrow walkway between it and another building, an area that the students grudgingly called the ‘wind tunnel’. The second they entered it was like the winds had dialed up, whipping around them and through Grillby’s jacket, sapping the little heat he had been holding onto. They made their way quickly through the area and to the engineering building, thankfully getting into the building at the first tap of their ID. 

“...God, I hate that area,” Grillby grumbled. He began walking towards the welding lab, waiting for Papyrus to fall into step before lacing their hands together. “Does temperature not affect you?”

“ Uh, yes and no. If it’s extreme enough it can bother my bones, otherwise it’s just all sort of--” He waved his free hand in the air uselessly. “--exists.”

“...Huh.” Grillby mentally filed the information away for later processing. They turned a corner and stopped before a large set of double doors, a large sign above them signifying that it was the entrance to the lab. He slid his ID through the reader, waiting for the light to turn green before opening one of the doors and gesturing for Papyrus to go through. “...After you.”

Papyrus hesitated, eyeing the doors with a dubious look. “Are you allowed to bring me in here?”

“...Usually no, but no one’s around so it’s fine--oh, don’t give me that look, it’ll be perfectly okay.” Grillby gently pushed Papyrus inside, following closely behind him through the second set of double doors.

It was nearly pitch black in the lab when they entered, but thankfully Grillby’s natural light was enough to scope out the light switch, bathing the room in bright, fluorescent light. The work tables were devoid of the usual metal scraps and metal bits that basically lived there, and for once the floor was safe to walk on without boots. “...Guess they must clean it before breaks…” Grillby mused absently as he wandered over to safety station. Papyrus followed closely behind him, watching Grillby shrug on a work apron with bright eye-lights. 

“Wowie, you look surprisingly professional with that on!” He remarked happily. 

“...Thanks,” Grillby smiled, subtly puffing out his chest. 

“So where should I sit to get a good look at your work?”

“...Actually, do you mind sitting over here for a minute? I need your help with something.”

“Okay!” Papyrus followed Grillby’s direction to a small stool and sat down, fidgeting eagerly. He watched Grillby grab a notepad and a pencil with rapt attention but quickly became confused when Grillby also picked up a ruler and tape measure. “Do you need me to help you measure something?”

Grillby started, nearly dropping his items as he made his way back over. “...I...uh…” Grillby scratched the back of his flames, blush growing as he tried to figure just how in the hell he was going to tell Papyrus that he was the subject of his next art project. God, it was just so embarrassing; what if he didn’t even want to be sculpted? He should’ve asked more clearly back when they were at the house. Grillby gazed at Papyrus, focusing on what he knew about Papyrus’ personality instead of the creeping anxiety threatening to pull him under. If Papyrus didn’t want to be sculpted, he would tell him nice and outright, and that would be that. There was nothing to stress over, just ask him. 

“...So my favorite thing that I chose to work on...is you. If that’s okay, I’ll need to uh, get some measurements…of your….” He trailed off, transfixed as Papyrus looked happier than he had ever seen him before. Before he could even begin to prepare himself Papyrus had launched himself at Grillby, wrapping his arms tightly around Grillby and picking him up in a big hug. 

“GRILLBY YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME BEFORE THAT YOU WANTED TO MAKE ART OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! OF COURSE, IT’S OKAY! I WOULD BE HAPPY--NAY, HONORED TO BE YOUR MUSE!” Papyrus cried, dispersing kisses to Grillby’s face every couple of words. “OKAY, WHAT DO YOU NEED ME TO DO? ARE YOU DOING MY ENTIRE BODY, SHOULD I GET UNDRESSED?”

Grillby sputtered, shaking his head emphatically as his face grew hot. “...No! I mean, no, I’m just doing your head. Please let me down.”

Papyrus appeased him, gently placing him on the ground. “Sorry, I’m just really excited! Okay, so just my head? Do you need me to take it off?”

“...You can do that??” 

“Of course!” 

Papyrus placed his hands on the bottom of his jaw and pulled up, popping his skull cleanly off of his vertebrae, much to Grillby’s horror. As if it couldn’t get any weirder, Papyrus’s body took two steps forward and deposited his head into Grillby’s arms. He looked down into his arms at his boyfriend’s decapitated head--did it count as decapitation if he did it freely?-- feeling his head go slightly woozy as he tried to process what was happening. Papyrus looked back up at him, smiling his usual thousand-watt smile. “There, that should be easier, right? You should be able to get  _ ahead  _ with your measurements much faster this way, nyeh heh heh!”

“...Papyrus, I can’t do this, please take your head back.”

“Oh don’t lose your  _ head  _ Grillby, I’m completely fine. See, I can still control my body!” Papyrus’ body gave an exaggerated salute, his hand stopping right over the empty space where his head would be. 

Somehow it didn’t make Grillby feel any better. 

Sensing Grillby’s worsening mood, Papyrus plucked his head out of Grillby’s arms and placed it back on his shoulders. He enveloped Grillby in a hug, kissing the side of his face as an apology. “Are you okay?”

Grillby took a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out against Papyrus’ chest. “...Yeah, I just need to uh...sit down for a second.” 

After spending a few minutes with his head in his hands and futilely trying to burn the images from his memory, Grillby got to work. First, he measured the height and width of Papyrus’ head from every angle, reciting the numbers out loud so Papyrus could write them down in the notebook, and then he pulled out the tape measure for getting measurements of the circumference of Papyrus’ skull at each of the major feature changes. 

Progress was going slower than Grillby had initially thought due to Papyrus’ wandering hands, teasing his fingers along his bare forearms, hands, even along the small of his back. Every time he turned to scold him though, Papyrus shrugged his shoulders, denying it. Grillby had decided to tease back, using the excuse of needing to get to know the minute features of Papyrus’ skull to softly probe around his in search of sensitive spots. It came to a head when Grillby stroked along the inner part of Papyrus’ mandible, causing Papyrus to pull him into his lap and smother him in kisses.

“...I-I give up!” Grillby giggled, his SOUL soaring from the affection. “...We’ll never finish at this rate.”

Papyrus reluctantly ceased his attack, opening his arms to let Grillby escape. He waited until Grillby had gotten over the worst of his giggles before asking, “What else do you want to do?”

“...I want to cut some of my sheets, maybe even prep some and weld a little bit of the base.”

“Okay, let’s do it!”

“...Wait, you’re going to need some gear.”

Grillby grabbed a full helmet for Papyrus, as well as one of the spare welding outfits for him to put on. It might’ve been a little easier for him to shirk off certain safety procedures since it was temperature based, but he’d rather go overboard to protect Papyrus than let him get hurt. Papyrus put on everything without complaint, even gushing over how cool he looked and taking a quick selfie to send to Undyne. 

Once they were all ready Grillby gathered his materials from the shelf and led Papyrus over to his usual workstation. He went through the steps of preparing his metal, explaining to Papyrus the many practical uses of the Angle Grinder. Papyrus seemed to soak up all the knowledge like a sponge and even asked Grillby clarifying questions to make sure he understood it all. After Grillby had cleaned and cut a few pieces of the sheet metal he begun to weld, using his flames as the main source of heat. He concentrated his residual magic into the very tip of his index finger to give him more control, slowly running it along the edges of the cut pieces of metal to weld them together.

It was well past dark outside when Grillby and Papyrus decided to pack it in for the day, only able to do the base of the skull in the time they had. 

“Wowie, that was so cool!” Papyrus pulled off his safety helmet, gazing at Grillby with an awed expression. “You’re so cool!”

“...It’s not that big of a deal,” Grillby said, bashfully. “...You could do it too with enough time and practice.”

“That may be so, but I’d never be able to do it as gracefully as you can! You’re amazing!”

“...Thank you,” Grillby mumbled, turning around to hide his bright face, knowing that his energetic flames would rat him out anyway. God, why did praise always affect him so hard?

The two of them tidied up as best as they could and left the lab, turning out the lights on their way. As they made their way back to the front, they thought about what to do about dinner for the night.  

“...We could eat out?” 

Papyrus frowned, crossing his arms. “I don’t want to eat anything unhealthy.”

“...I know a place nearby that’s pretty good. It has plenty of healthy options for you too,” Grillby added. “Promise.”

Trusting Grillby’s words, Papyrus and Grillby left campus, at first walking as if going to Grillby’s dorm but turning off towards what was usually a busier main street during the school year. Since classes were out it was more subdued with only a few of the local monsters out and about on the street.

Grillby led them to a small restaurant nestled between a closed juice bar and a thrift store, nearly sighing in relief as warm air circulated around the building. A nearby server greeted them, confirming the number of people they had before leading them to a sizeable booth and handing them menus to leaf through. Grillby watched over the table as Papyrus scrutinized the food list, glancing quickly down at his own menu to confirm that they still had his favorite meal there: a fancy burger topped with avocado and whatever black magic they used to make their delicious house sauce. “...Is this place to your liking?”

“It passes my minimum requirements,” Papyrus answered after a moment. “There’s still a lot to be improved on before I can say it’s up to my high standards, but it’ll do.”

Grillby smiled. “...I’m glad.”

A few more minutes passed before the server returned, getting in their drink choices --a Bellini for Grillby and a tall glass of milk for Papyrus-- and food orders before walking off, leaving the two of them in comfortable silence. 

“You know,” Papyrus whispered, leaning closer to Grillby as if he were telling him a big secret, “This is probably our first proper date since we started going out.”

“...What?” Grillby brought a hand up to his chin as he thought back to their activities over the last couple of weeks. They hung out in class and at the cafe while Papyrus worked, but other than that...wow, yeah. “...I think you’re right.”

“You’re such a good boyfriend, taking me out to dinner,” Papyrus cooed, reaching across the table to hold Grillby’s hands in his own. “Maybe I’ll even let you kiss my cheek when you bring me home.” Grillby rolled his eyes with a jagged smile, rubbing Papyrus’ fingers affectionately. 

Their food came out quicker than they expected and they spent the rest of the time eating and chatting about the book Papyrus had been reading earlier. Apparently, it was recommended by a person he talked to in the bookstore when he had first picked up his other book, the title of which he refused to tell Grillby for some reason or another. In any case, the new book was a bestseller, and the basis of the plot was that the main heroine of the story was the reincarnated prince of an old long-forgotten kingdom, forced to marry the neighboring kingdom’s princess to restore peace to their warring nations, as well as come to terms with her new identity. Papyrus seemed to be liking it so far, and from the little Grillby got he thought it was a pretty interesting book too. Probably not one he’d be able to ironically like, unfortunately, but he decided to keep that tidbit to himself. 

After they finished the server came around and collected their empty plates, leaving the check in the middle of the table. Papyrus automatically reached for it, but Grillby quickly thrust his hand out and dragged the paper towards him. “...Let me pay, since I invited you out and all.”

“You’re so sweet,” Papyrus gushed. “If I had eyelashes I’d be fluttering them in a coy fashion.”

“....I’ll just have to use my imagination.”

Grillby had forgotten how cold it was outside when they stepped out of the restaurant, instantly shoving his hands up his sleeves to keep himself warm. Stifling a laugh, Papyrus linked his arm with Grillby’s. “You’re so cute, let’s get home before you freeze.”

Instead of walking through campus the two of them headed down the current street in the direction of Papyrus’ house, making it there in almost record time. Papyrus went to unlock the door but paused halfway through. “Hold on, you’re supposed to kiss me goodnight after our date…but it’s pretty chilly outside. Maybe you’d want to come inside for coffee?”

“...Coffee?” Grillby asked, confusion quickly shifting to realization as he remembered their date conversation from earlier. “...Right, I can probably stay for a quick cup.”

Papyrus flashed Grillby an innocent smile over his shoulder, but Grillby could tell that the other was hiding lustful intentions from the slight flush of magic that crept up from his chest area, most likely the spot where his soul sat. Grillby was right, for as soon as he had closed the door behind him Papyrus had struck, relieving him of their coats and pinning Grillby’s arms above his head with one hand. Using his body to keep Grillby pressed against the door, Papyrus initiated a deep kiss, one that Grillby instantly melted into, darting his tongue out to request access to Papyrus’ mouth with a firm lick against his teeth. Ever the people pleaser, Papyrus eagerly opened his mouth, a sharp crack in the air the only warning before Papyrus’ tongue rubbed against his, coaxing out a small moan from his body.

Nimble fingers inched their way over Grillby’s shirt, exploring the vast expanse of his torso as they kissed furiously, and Grillby could feel his flames dance in anticipation of being stroked by that loving touch. He wanted to touch Papyrus, to make him feel just as good as he was feeling right now, but his hands were trapped, and he couldn’t help the small whine that escaped from his body in his struggle. Papyrus laughed--laughed! The audacity of this skeleton!--, pulling away just enough so that Grillby could see the slight twinkle of mischief in his eye-lights. He opened his mouth to complain but Papyrus, in a feat of surprising finesse, picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, effectively killing all rational thought. Dazed, Grillby could do nothing more but allow Papyrus carry him to whatever destination he had in mind, his soul churning in excitement when they passed through the threshold of Papyrus’ room. 

Grillby’s vision blurred as he was unceremoniously tossed onto the firm bed, bouncing haphazardly before his body settled. Papyrus climbed onto the bed after him, long limbs straddling on either side of Grillby’s body as he seated himself on his abdomen. “I figured that this would be more comfortable, is this okay?”

Grillby nodded, unfocused as his eyes roamed greedily over Papyrus’ body. He didn’t notice it before, but somewhere during their shenanigans Papyrus’ pelvis had started to glow, bright enough for it to be seen through Papyrus’ thick sweater dress AND leggings, and he found himself wanting to explore just what was hiding underneath his clothing. Letting his lust lead the way Grillby wrapped his arms around the bottom of Papyrus’ back, bringing him down so that he was half-lying against him and initiated a sloppy kiss, saliva leaking from the corners of his mouth as their tongues flailed together. His hand snuck under Papyrus’ dress, intent to explore this new development in his pelvis, and it wasn’t until he had accidentally grazed  _ something  _ with a hole-like texture that Papyrus noticed, practically shrieking as he scrambled away from Grillby to the edge of the bed. “OH MY GOD!”

“...What? What? What’s wrong? What happened?”

“YOU TOUCHED MY SACRUM!!”

Grillby stared blankly at him, trying to place the vaguely familiar term. “... _ Your what?” _

“MY SACRUM, GRILLBY! IT’S A VERY SPECIAL PLACE!” Papyrus huffed, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. 

“...Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Was I moving too fast?”

“IT’S NOT--” Papyrus paused, glancing at Grillby out of the corner of his sockets. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I just think we should probably discuss boundaries, is that okay?”

“...Of course.” Grillby moved into a sitting position, guilt billowing over him like a storm as he made space for Papyrus to join him on the bed. His hands automatically reached out for Papyrus’, squeezing them in a vice grip. God, he was so stupid! Why did he let himself get carried away like that? He focused on Papyrus, apologies on the tip of his tongue ready to spew forth, but a firmly raised hand stopped him.

“Listen, I might’ve...overreacted a bit there. We’re in a relationship, it’s natural to want to explore each other, right? And I can’t help but want to explore all the ways your body ticks too, but I’m just--I need to put it out there now that I don’t think I’m ready to uh, go all the way yet. I want to make sure I’m prepared mentally, and I think I got scared that we were moving too fast? The same thing happened this morning; I got so terrified that I might’ve crossed a line in my sleep so I ran but you just felt so nice and I was so aroused and--”

Grillby cut him off with a finger to the teeth. “...Papy, I understand. This is pretty new to both of us, and honestly, I’m worried about getting too carried away myself. I already stress out about if I’m kissing you the right way, and I honestly have no idea how anal sex works. Maybe we can, I don’t know, take it a little slower for now? Maybe explore each other bit by bit as we get comfortable, and if at any point we get too overwhelmed we can just say ‘stop’? How does that work?”

“Oh Grillby, that’s perfect!” Papyrus cheered, leaping forward into Grillby’s arm to hug him. “You’re so smart!”

“...I’m alright,” Grillby blushed. 

“No way! You’re great!” Papyrus placed a kiss on Grillby’s chin affectionately, and then he began to kiss his neck playfully, praising him between each touch of his teeth to Grillby’s agitated flames. “You’re so nice--mmph--and handsome--mmphh--and breathtakingly beautiful.”

“...A-ahhh, Papyrus, w-what are you…” Grillby’s words tapered out into hisses and rasps as Papyrus assaulted him with his teeth, nipping and licking down the length of his neck to pause right at the collar of his shirt. Fingers grasped lightly at the garment as Papyrus’ eye-lights flickered up to Grillby. 

“Do you mind if I...take this off?”

Grillby audibly gulped. “...Yes--I mean, no. No wait, uh-I mean, please, I want you to take off my shirt.”

Papyrus’ expression softened upon gaining Grillby's approval, rubbing his shoulders soothingly before moving down to the hem of his shirt. With one last glance for permission, Papyrus gingerly pulled the shirt up on and off, exposing Grillby’s bare chest. Papyrus grew silent as he pulled away, shirt slipping through his fingers to the bed, and Grillby wondered if he had done something wrong again. 

Was he not what Papyrus was expecting? As far as he knew, he was similar to all other fire monsters: his chest had the same sort of flame make as the rest of his body, smooth flames that mimicked some parts of other fleshy beings down to the appearance of faked muscle tone, and his core was visible in his abdomen, vaguely star-shaped just like everyone else. 

_ But this was Papyrus’ first time seeing a fire elemental, wasn’t it? _

Fighting the urge to cover himself with his arms, Grillby placed his hands on the surface of the bed.  “...You’re making me a little nervous, am I a little too  _ hot  _ to handle?” he joked. Instead of quipping back like he expected, Papyrus blushed heavily and looked down at his lap. 

“Something like that,” Papyrus muttered, refusing to meet Grillby’s eyes as he shifted his lap. “I..uhm, my magic formed.”

Grillby tilted his head in confusion. Magic? Drawn by the sudden movement of Papyrus’ fidgeting he looked down towards Papyrus’ lap, and his eyes widened as he took in the telltale sign of his arousal tenting underneath his clothing.  _ Oh.  _ He struggled to find a reply, his head surprisingly devoid of any appropriate responses. Eventually, he settled on asking a question that had been on his mind for awhile about the other’s biology. “...So, does it not always form?”

Papyrus finally met his gaze, embarrassment still plain as day on his face. “Usually I will it to form, otherwise it just sits in my pelvic cavity as sort of a...nebulous kind of magic cloud thingamabob.”

“...Am I correct in assuming that I might be the reason it’s forming randomly now?” Grillby asked, hoping that he followed the flow of the conversation correctly. 

“Of course you’re the reason! You and your--your flesh! And muscles! Of course, I’m aroused--Hey! Don’t laugh at me!” Papyrus wailed, gesturing wildly in his direction. 

“...Sorry, I just, wow, where to begin. My body isn’t flesh, it’s all fire magic pretending flesh.”

“Wow, really?!”

Grillby nodded, already relaxing in the mood change. The anxiety from earlier almost felt like a far-off memory, and before he knew it he was extending an offer for further exploration. “...You can touch it if you’d like, especially since you took off my shirt and all already.” 

“Right, I did do that, didn’t I? Okay, I’m gonna do it!”

Grillby held his breath as he watched Papyrus fingers edge closer to his chest, exhaling when he felt the cold, bony tips prod at the middle of his abdomen. He moved his head closer as he probed at it a little more insistently, only stopping when Grillby let out a sharp intake of breath. “What’s this?” He asked. 

“...It’s my core. All fire elementals have one, it’s like...the physical representation of me. It protects my soul.”

“So your soul is inside this?” 

“...Yeah.”

“Wowie,” Papyrus breathed, rubbing his thumb over one of the starry tips. “Is it sensitive?”

Grillby shrugged. “...A little bit.”

Papyrus hummed thoughtfully, sliding his hands away from Grillby’s core to settle on his sides. He took his time just letting his fingers barely graze along the tensing flames, looking up every once in a while to take in Grillby’s expression. “How about this?”

“It’s alright, I guess.”

“Grillbyyyyy!” Papyrus playfully pushed him onto his back before taking his previous spot on Grillby’s lower chest. Placing his hands at the very tip of his core, Papyrus ran his hands up the middle, grinning when his actions elicited a startled groan from Grillby’s mouth. “There we go! A sensitive area, finally!”

Grillby arched his head further into the mattress as Papyrus’ hands reached the base of his neck before spreading out to his faux pectorals. He tried to focus on that instead of the reminder of Papyrus’ arousal literally pressed against him. “...I, yeah, my neck is uh, really sensitive,” he rasped.

“I’ll remember that,” Papyrus smirked, leaning down to press a quick kiss against his chest before pulling back up. “I think that maybe this has all been a little too one-sided. Would you perhaps like to learn more about my body? The upper half, specifically. I’m not quite ready to go any further yet.”

“...I’d love to see you if you’ll allow me to look.”

Papyrus gripped the bottom of his dress, arm bones crossed over one another as he pulled, revealing pearly white bones the more he moved. Grillby wasn’t sure where he should be focusing all of his attention; on one hand, there was the delicious curve of Papyrus’ spine as he arched slightly to get his clothing off, a sight that he had seen before that fateful day when Papyrus stripped his sweater off for him, but still just as amazing as before. But then, inch by inch the impressive presence of Papyrus’ rib cage was making itself known, something that Grillby had only seen in anatomy textbooks and teased through thin shirts and, in one case, a short crop top. His patience was running thin, eager to touch and learn about what spots would make Papyrus moan, and by the time Papyrus had fully discarded his dress and sat in only his leggings Grillby had already gotten to his elbows, leaning on them for support as he stared at Papyrus slack-jawed. “...You’re gorgeous. Can I…?”

Papyrus answered in the affirmative, bracing himself against the bed as he let Grillby adjust himself so that he was supporting Papyrus in his lap. “Sorry, wait, hold on.” Papyrus pulled his legs out from underneath him, instead wrapping them around Grillby’s hips and scooting in closer. “There, much better!”

_ Is it, though?  _ Grillby thought desperately as Papyrus’ length poked at his abdomen. He wasn’t sure how Papyrus was able to deal with this, especially since he was practically straddling Grillby’s dick himself. He definitely must’ve felt it, right? Grillby glanced at Papyrus’ expression, catching the sheepish look directed his way.

“...You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” He muttered helplessly.

“Well, we’ve ground against each other before, so I think it’s well within our boundaries, wouldn’t you say?” Papyrus punctuated his words with a swivel of his hips.

“...You’re something else,” Grillby said, finally reaching a hand out to brush against Papyrus’...collarbone. “...Does this have another name?”

“Ah...uhm, clavicle?”

Grillby tried the name. “...Clavicle. Guess that rolls off the tongue a bit easier.” He pressed on in his explorations, running individual fingers along the front of his rib cage. It was slightly rougher than the rest of the bones Grillby had the pleasure of touching so far, and there was a noticeable connection between the ends of each rib to the main bone connecting it all: the sternum if he recalled correctly. He had seen this all in the diagrams he searched online, but Papyrus’ body seemed different than the pictures; his ribs broader and slightly thicker, giving them an overall more solid look to them, and his spine was a bit longer, maybe?

In either case, he wanted to explore it all more, wanted to map out all the intricacies of Papyrus’ body until he could recite it from memory. It might’ve been on its way to becoming an addiction if Grillby had anything to say about it.

He decided to get slightly more adventurous in his prodding, reaching down to graze the ribs that weren’t connected to the others. Papyrus jolted in response but settled almost instantly. “...These are your uh….false ribs, right? Are they sensitive, or were you just startled?” 

“A little bit of both,” Papyrus confessed. “Those are my floating ribs, and they’re rather reactive, in the right context.”

“...Sex?”

“If you want to be crude about it, yes.”

“...Can’t you describe every part of your body as ‘reactive in the right context’?”

“No,” Papyrus huffed without any real malice behind it. “There are parts of my body that are erogenous without it.”

Grillby was intrigued. “...Yeah? I wonder which parts those are…Oh, wait, I do know.” Giving Papyrus a smile, Grillby let his fingers skim along the front of Papyrus’ lower spine, receiving a strong moan in response. Papyrus grabbed Grillby’s wrist firmly as his blush deepened, making Grillby chuckle. “...Was I right?”

“...”

“...Did it feel good?” He pressed on. 

“......It did,” Papyrus relented, loosening his grip. Grillby brought his hand up, kissing Papyrus’ forearm gently.

“...Will you teach me how to make you feel good being touched there?”

“Only if you teach me too.”

“...Okay,” Grillby agreed, using his free hand to guide Papyrus to his core, positioning his fingers so that the tips of them dug into his flames. “...Sometimes when I masturbate, I sort of...scratch at my core. It feels...really nice.”

Papyrus tried doing as Grillby described, scratching his phalanges against the rough texture. It instantly invoked an intense pleasure within Grillby, and he couldn’t help jerking his hips up into Papyrus. “...Holy fuck.”

“Good?” Papyrus asked, the corners of his teeth pulling up into what Grillby could only describe as a smug expression.  _ That little… _

Grillby decided at that moment that it was his goal to get Papyrus to completely lose himself in as much pleasure as Grillby could give him, and so he cupped his fingers around the back of Papyrus’ spine without any warning, experimenting with a small squeeze to the column. 

Papyrus reacted with a guttural moan, his fingers slipping off of Grillby’s body and fisting into the sheets beneath him. His body shuddered violently, bones rattling noisily as they clattered against each other. Grillby watched the exaggerated rise and fall of his rib cage with interest. “...Good?” He parroted back.

Wanting to earn more of Papyrus’ noises, he dialed up the heat on his ministrations, using both hands to wrap around his spine and slowly stroked up and down in an imitation of jerking off. To his surprise, Papyrus spasmed in his hold and nearly smacked his skull into Grillby’s head as he wrapped his arms around Grillby in a vice grip. Papyrus’ fingers drove deep into his back as he babbled frenzied pleas into Grillby’s shoulder, most of which were almost intelligible, but when Grillby tilted his head closer he could hear snatches of his name. 

He wanted to hear more.

“...Talk to me, Papyrus, how does it feel?”

It took Papyrus a few tries to spit out anything, but a jerk of his spine along with a well-timed thrust had him moaning out. 

“G-grillby, oh my  _ god,  _ just--mffh!--just like that.”

Grillby found himself melting into the debauched sound of Papyrus’ voice, stroking the spinal column harder, faster, anything to witness Papyrus fall apart at his touch. His mouth latched onto Papyrus’ feverishly as they rocked together, clothed shafts grinding into one another and providing friction that they couldn’t help but seek more of. 

Muffled moans and shifting sheets filled the room as the two gave up trying to coordinate any precise movements, settling instead for desperately humping each other through the remaining clothes they had on as they sought to provide themselves with more and more pleasure. Papyrus’ fingers settled on Grillby’s back, clawing down the length of it as his teeth bit down on Grillby’s neck, and Grillby laced his fingers into the back of Papyrus’ rib cage, needing  _ something  _ to hold onto so he wouldn’t lose himself in this sea of sexual gratification. 

Grillby’s core tightened when Papyrus nearly screamed into his flames, the metaphorical rope of his arousal coiling tighter and tighter the closer he crept to his orgasm. His flames were out of control, roaring in agitation as they flared outward and up, and he knew that if Papyrus were more coherent he might’ve almost been alarmed. “P-papy--fuck, Papyrus, I-I’m getting close,  _ ohmygodfuck-- _ !”

Grillby pulled Papyrus tight as he came, releasing rope after rope of cum into his pants and quickly drenching the clothing. Papyrus groaned, biting down harshly as the clattering of his bones stopped, his whole body going rigid. Grillby looked down, spotting the telltale wet spot in a particular area of Papyrus’ leggings as proof of his own release.

As the glow of his orgasm began to taper off, Grillby unhooked his hands from Papyrus’ ribs, rubbing small circles on his back. “...That didn’t hurt, did it?”

Papyrus voice was thick with exhaustion when he answered. “No no, it was fine. Really, really good.”

“...Yeah? I’m glad.” Grillby stifled a yawn. “...It was also really, really good for me too.” He nuzzled the top of Papyrus’ skull, chuckling when Papyrus cuddled into his flames. “...Are you tired?”

“Mmmm, no way...I have to...have to clean up…” Papyrus trailed off into sleepy murmurs.

Grillby waited a few minutes for Papyrus to sink deeper into sleep before adjusting the both of them, using the least amount of movement to get them both lying down. He positioned Papyrus so that he was on his side, cradling his head against his chest. After taking off his glasses and just being in reach of the table to place them on the edge, Grillby retrieved his phone out of his pocket, thankful that he happened to be on his free side. He turned on the display, frowning at the date; soon he’d have to go home and face his parents for the holidays. 

Sighing, Grillby turned his phone off and shoved it under the pillow before embracing Papyrus. At least he could still enjoy his company for a little longer; he just had to focus on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't put a smut summary in here, but I figured that since a lot chunk of what I write is smut that no one would need it. if someone wants to read this fic but can't read the smut just let me know (on here or privately on tumblr, w/e) and we can work something out <3.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this fic and I hope you continue to enjoy it all!


	20. A surprisingly average morning-after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby encounters an old friend and Papyrus suggests something interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, long time no see! I had to put this project on the backburner for a variety of reasons, but now I'm back on it and enthusiastic as ever to indulge myself in this fic! I'm working on keeping my chapter lengths shorter so that I can actually keep to a semi-regular schedule, but please be patient with me as I work to get back into the regular cadence of things! 
> 
> Thank you so much for continuing to support this self-indulgent mess of mine, I really appreciate it!

“...You really seem to like it here, huh?”

_Yip!_

Grillby chuckled, reaching a hand out to ruffle the fur of the dog laying beside him.

He had woken up earlier that morning shirtless, boyfriend-less, and shivering in bed, realizing after a few moments that the mattress had been stripped bare during the night. He always thought that he was a pretty light sleeper, but not only did Papyrus manage to leave without him knowing, he also somehow pulled off the sheets from underneath him without jostling him awake.

While Grillby had been hoping to wake up with Papyrus in his embrace, he realized that the other might’ve been feeling anxious about missing yet another day of exercise and wanted to keep up his routine. Being an elemental that liked the occasional routine himself, Grillby understood. At least it reduced the chance of a potentially awkward morning after their rowdy night?

Once Grillby had become fully conscious, he started to notice an odd humming noise. He eventually pieced together that the noise was, in fact, loud snoring, and deduced that someone or some _thing_ else was in the bed with him. After quickly turning over to find the source of the snoring, Grillby relaxed when he caught sight of the small, white dog that he had run into a few weeks prior when he slept over before he and Papyrus had become a couple. His movements had accidentally woken the dog up and Grillby, not wanting to kick him out, had decided to let him stay, gracing him with pats and soft kisses to the fur.

Grillby sighed happily, running his fingers through the fluffy tuft on the dog’s chest underneath his chin. It was softer than the rest of the dog, which was an extraordinary feat in and of itself since he was already rather pleasing to the touch. The dog’s tail wagged back and forth lazily as he laid on his back and arched his head into the soothing flames, no doubt grateful for the pats and even more for the warmth. Grillby thought the dog would be perturbed by the fact that he was a literal flaming monster, but he guessed that for the dog affection was much more important than self-preservation.

“...You’re too clean to be a street dog, but I don’t see a collar on you anywhere,” Grillby mused. “Do you at least have a name?’

The dog cocked his head to the side as he looked up at Grillby.

“...Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t be able to answer that. Maybe for now I’ll call you...Bud, like short for Buddie, or maybe even like a budding fire. Does that sounds okay?”

Bud barked, raising his paw up to expose more of his stomach for pats. Grillby obliged, cooing softly as he watched Bud’s tongue loll out lazily.

“...Guess you like that name, huh? Or maybe you just want more pats. Well lucky for you, I love patting cute dogs,” Grillby gushed, pulling the dog closer to his bare chest. He released him, waiting for a sign of distress--Grillby was  _quite_ warm after all, it wouldn’t do to make the poor guy too hot--before resuming his petting, making sure to give extra attention to Bud’s paws and furry little forehead. “...Man, you’re such a good dog, why doesn’t Papyrus like you?”

Bud made no movement other than a quick twitch of his nose. Grillby held back the urge to squeal, settling instead for directing his. scratches to Bud’s ears. The fur was soft there as well, white and fluffy to match the rest of him, which made Grillby wonder just how much of Bud was fur and how much was his actual body. If he recalled correctly, dogs like this were actually quite small underneath all of their impressive fluffiness and tended to shed terribly in the spring. Should he get a shedding comb in preparation for it?

Wait; this wasn’t actually his dog. He really needed to start remembering that.

Grillby sighed, letting his thoughts wander onto Papyrus. Based on the pictures that Papyrus had shown him before, it looked like he usually ran in a park of some kind. Was it close? Would it be weird for Grillby to ask him to take him there one day?  Maybe he could ask him when he got back and they could set a date for it. Even if it was cold and gross out, Grillby would rather be outside where the potential for morning-after awkwardness was low.

Grillby pondered the idea but soon began to recall yesterday’s events fondly with a flush of his flames. ‘Amazing’ was the first word that came to his mind, but he didn’t feel like it was strong enough for what he felt. He didn’t think he would ever forget how smooth Papyrus’ bones were, how cool they were to the touch, and sensitive, oh so sensitive. And his voice, god he never knew Papyrus could sound so...dirty. Grillby was sure that he could get addicted to that, exploring Papyrus’ body a little bit at a time, maybe getting farther and farther with each attempt until one day, one day they could possibly…

Go all the way?

A small whine brought Grillby out of his imagination and back to the present. He looked down to see Bud squirmed lightly in his hold, small legs kicking out in a futile attempt to get free. After a bit of confusion, he quickly realized that his flames must’ve become agitated with his lustful thoughts and irritated the poor guy; fleshy creatures were just too vulnerable to a fire elemental’s near-constant changing temperatures.

“...Sorry Bud,” Grillby apologized, focusing on bringing his flames back down. “...I lost myself a little there. Thinking about Papyrus has a tendency to do that.”

At the mention of the skeleton’s name Bud’s ears perked up and he let out a small yiff.

“...I know you like him too. He’s just so great, right? He’s so caring and polite, except to you for some reason.” He laughed. “...I'm sure he doesn't hate you though, so don't worry. What else can I say about him? Uhhh, he's really, really, gorgeous. Gosh, Bud, I can see why you steal his bones so often--”

“Bones?”

Grillby looked up at the sound of a familiar voice to find Papyrus leaning against the doorway. His flames crackled happily. “...Oh, you’re back! How was your run?”

“It was fine, but…” Papyrus narrowed his sockets as he leaned in, focusing his gaze on Grillby. It wasn’t until he had walked into the room fully and crouched down that Grillby realized he wasn’t looking at him, but at the bundle of fur in his arms. Papyrus picked up Bud with both hands and got to his feet, keeping him an arm's length away as he addressed him. “Why are you, my sworn enemy, laying here in bed with my boyfriend?!”

“...Bud was here when I woke up.”

“That doesn’t mean…” Papyrus trailed off, flickering his gaze from Bud to Grillby and back. “Wait, did you name him?!”

Grillby shrugged. “...I don’t know what his actual name is, so I gave him a nickname.”

“Grillby! You can’t just name him! If you do that he’ll just keep coming back!”

“...I mean, he probably already has a name, you know…”

Papyrus ignored the remark, repositioning Bud so that they were eye-to-eye. “You. Forget your name. You are just an annoying dog, you understand?”

Bud flicked his tongue out, darting it over his nose before making an attempt to lick Papyrus’ face. Papyrus just managed to avoid the attack, using his quick reflexes to thwart the action and cradle Bud underneath his arm like a football. Grillby watched as Papyrus walked out of the room, hearing the door open and close briefly before he returned, dogless.

“...You can’t deny that he’s adorable,” he pointed out.

Sighing, Papyrus collapsed face-down on the bed beside Grillby, hooking his arm underneath the pillow above him. “While that might be true, that doesn’t excuse his poor behavior. Did you know that he’s stolen my leg at least five times since I started going to college here? He broke into my dorm room, Grillby!”

Grillby brushed his hand over the back of Papyrus’ skull soothingly, taking a moment to appreciate Papyrus’ diligence to his attire. Did he even have a use for a thick sweatband on his head? And the earmuffs? “...Well, obviously that means he’s grown attached to you. Besides, you like dogs, I think. Can't imagine that someone who poses with so many dogs wouldn't like them.”

“That reminds me!” Papyrus gasped, rummaging around in his pants pocket before pulling out his phone. “Check out this very nice friend I met!”

Grillby flipped over onto his stomach, leaning over to look at Papyrus’ phone. There was a picture on the screen of Papyrus and a large dog. Its fur hung off of it in thick locks, making it look more like a mop than anything else. Grillby couldn’t see their eyes, but their tongue was out in full force. “...Oh no, they’re adorable.”

“I know, right! He didn’t try to take my leg or anything! He was quite polite and waited for me to pet him, unlike  _some_ dogs.”

Grillby snickered, resting his head against Papyrus’ shoulder. “...You leave Bud alone, he was the only one here to cheer me up in the cold, desolate, room by myself. How did you even manage to take the sheets off while I was still in bed?”

“Plenty of practice,” Papyrus answered with a small blush. Grillby gave an inquiring look, urging him to continue. “Whenever I’m at home I get a compulsive urge to clean, probably because Sans doesn't do any of it. Sometimes I have to strip the bed while Sans is still sleeping, so I've gotten good at it.”

“...And you couldn’t have waited until I woke up?”

“No, because they were filthy! Full of soot and who knows what else!”

Shrugging, Grillby rolled back over so that he was on his back. Papyrus glanced over in his direction, indecision on his face, but after a moment he followed Grillby and carefully laid on top of him. He rested his head underneath Grillby’s chin, nuzzling his nasal bone into the thick flames with a soft sigh.

Grillby relaxed into the embrace, eyes fluttering closed as he basked in the faint aroma of Papyrus’ natural scent, along with the sharp tang of grass. Whatever park Papyrus ran through must’ve been groomed fairly recently for the scent to be that strong, Grillby guessed, and the sudden desire to roll around in the grass entered his mind.

With Papyrus’ calming presence there, it was easy for Grillby to ignore whatever part of his mind was responsible for his anxiety, and he began to drift off. However, before he could completely fall asleep Papyrus’ surprisingly quiet voice brought him back to full alertness.

“Was last night...okay for you?”

“...Papyrus, last night was possibly the best night of my life by far,” Grillby said, wrapping Papyrus in his arms and placing a small kiss to the top of his head. Papyrus let out a small ‘nyeh’ in retaliation, burying his skull in Grillby’s chest. “...You were marvelous.”

“You didn’t feel too rushed or anything?”

“...No, I think that it was fine.”

“Oh good! I was just, worried I guess? I know I had a fantastic time, but I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I figured that you enjoyed yourself since I was there, of course, but I wanted to double check. Just in case I was mistaken,” Papyrus mumbled, his voice somehow still perfectly crisp and clear despite his current position. Like everything else about Papyrus, Grillby found it charming.

“...You know, I’m usually the one that’s the more anxious out of us. It’s interesting to see it the other way around.”

“Shush you.”

They spent a little more time in bed, smothering each other in soft kisses and caresses until Papyrus began to fidget with restless energy. He extracted himself from Grillby’s arms and sat up in bed. Not one to be deterred that easily, Grillby scooted over until he was draped over Papyrus’ lap, much to Papyrus’s chagrin.

“We can’t laze around in bed all day! We should go outside and do something fun before you leave.”

Grillby sighed, rubbing his hands over his face in irritation. He had been trying to forget about actually going home but Papyrus was right; he had to leave tomorrow. He tapped his chin thoughtfully until he remembered his idea from earlier. “...Oh, speaking of which. I was wondering what the park where you run looks like. Maybe we could do a date there today?”

“That’s a great idea, Grillby!” Papyrus exclaimed. He went to stand up, gently cradling Grillby’s head as he snuck to his feet to avoid dropping him, before posing dramatically. “We shall have a park date! Oh, I’m so excited! Here, let me get out of the way so you can get dressed.”

When Papyrus left the room, Grillby rummaged through his bag. What did he have to wear again? There were tons of button-downs, chosen because 1. he looked great in them and 2. Fuku wouldn’t make fun of him, but he needed something different than a button-down for a trip to the park.

He needed something... _Athletic_.

He knew that he didn't actually have that, so he settled for his second choice: warm sweaters. There had to be a few  _somewhere_ in his bag…

After just about tossing out all of his clothing, he finally found one of his coveted sweaters, rolled up and squeezed into the corner of the suitcase. He pulled it out, vaguely recalling stuffing it there as a last-ditch effort to fit all of his clothing, and realized that it was the same sweater he had worn during the dinner date with Papyrus and his brother...a few months ago? Had it really only that long ago? It definitely felt much longer.

He stared down at the sweater in his hands, thinking back to his relationship with Papyrus around that time. They had barely known each other, just an anxious customer and an overly friendly cashier, and now look at them. He could’ve sat there all day thinking about how lucky he was to have met Papyrus and the events that brought them together, but he remembered that Papyrus was waiting for him, so he quickly shrugged on his sweater and swapped his pants for a fresh pair.

Upon leaving the bedroom Grillby looked for Papyrus and found him in the living room, doing some sort of exercise. He was in the middle of a lunge, hands on his hips as he stretched his...bones? Grillby edged around the perimeter of the room silently to grab his coat, keeping his eyes peeled on Papyrus so as to not miss whatever this was. Papyrus righted himself, letting out a quick exhale before moving to his next position. He swung one leg back, kicking his heel up to his pelvis. Right before it could collide with his tailbone (sacrum, he called it yesterday?), Papyrus grabbed the front of his foot and held it. Since he was all bone and his joints weren’t obstructed by flesh, he was able to basically pull his calf bone close until it was flush with his thigh bone. The movement was definitely surreal to watch, by Grillby’s standards.

Even though Grillby was well aware of the fact that Papyrus was a skeleton, seeing him do actual skeleton things was very unnerving, and so when Papyrus switched to his other leg he finally decided to speak up.

“...Papy, does that really work without muscles? Or flesh? Skin?”

Papyrus gave Grillby a sheepish smile as he lowered his limbs back to the floor. Shrugging, he responded, “Well, no. I’m just...practicing?”

“...For...when you have flesh?” Grillby let out a soft chuckle when he caught a small flicker of orange dust over Papyrus’ cheekbones. His boyfriend was just so cute when he was embarrassed.

“In any case! Are you ready to go?”

“...Yep,” Grillby said, patting the coat in his hands.

Papyrus gave him a thumbs-up, which, when combined with the rest of his outfit, looked extremely cheesy. “Great!” He headed towards the front door, and Grillby went to follow him until he suddenly stopped. “Oh! By the way, do you mind if we use the Dating Hud today?”

“...The what?”


	21. The Strange Apparatus That Might Appear When You Date a Certain Skeleton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus guides Grillby through the world of Dating HUDs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the Dating HUD, and I was inspired to include it after rereading Askellie's [ The HUD that might display if you date Papyrus ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9580967). I had a few different ideas for the functionality of the HUD, but I really loved their hc for the [ egg ](https://askellie.tumblr.com/post/156823886721/what-happens-when-the-egg-breaks) [NSFW Tumblr link], so I decided to use it!

_The Dating HUD, a new way to explore relationships, was founded by the author of the Official Dating Manual, Gerson Turtle. It was created to help couples communicate without words by utilizing the most intimate and trustworthy means possible: their SOULs. After examining the very culmination of his own being, Gerson found a method of thinking that allowed him to project his SOUL in a way that would show basic stats about his emotional and physical state. He theorized that couples who harnessed this natural ability to display their stats to one another would be able to circumvent normal dating standards and reach a level of dating never seen before!_

_Gerson added the concept of the Dating HUD into the second edition of the Official Dating Manual, and since then it has become the newest, biggest craze in monster dating--_

“...Sorry to interrupt, but when did this manual come out again?”

Papyrus, who had been in a middle of a grandiose retelling of the Dating HUD’s MonWiki page, stopped short. Grillby followed suit and stopped, immediately wrapping his arms around himself as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk. “That is a very good question!” Papyrus looked down at his body with a furrowing of his brow bone and patted the sides of his tracksuit. “I know I have it here somewhere...Oh, here we go!”

Grillby watched with amusement as Papyrus pulled out a small pocket-sized book from underneath the bottom of his jacket. “...How often do you carry that around with you?”

“All the time! You never know when you are in need of emergency dating advice!” Papyrus said, passing the book over to Grillby.

Grillby carefully held the book in his hands as he looked over it. The book must have been white when it had first been bought, but now the pages were yellowing on the edges, and the cover was an off-white color. The title was printed in bold lettering across the top of the book:  **THE OFFICIAL DATING MANUAL,** along with the author’s name. Directly above it was a tagline: THE EASY 130-STEP GUIDE GUARANTEED TO SOLVE YOUR DATING ISSUES! NOW INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL 30 STEPS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DR. GERSON’S FANTASTIC DATING HUD™ DISCOVERY. Finally, taking up the bottom half of the cover was a photo-realistic picture of an upside-down heart. It was red, which confused Grillby since monster SOULS were usually white. Maybe they used it to signify love?

Baffled by the sheer ridiculousness of this book already, he opened it to the first page. He politely averted his eyes from the scrawled text in the middle which dedicated the book to _Papyrus, my biggest fan_ (suspiciously in the same particular font style that a certain cute skeleton used), and instead, he looked for the publishing year. Finding nothing on that page, he flipped to the next one.

After ignoring yet another forged signature, he finally found the year at the bottom of the page.  

“...No wonder I haven’t heard of it, this came out in ‘83,” Grillby chuckled softly. “...You and your old stuff.” He handed the manual back.

Papyrus tucked the manual back into his pocket. “Even though it’s old-schooled, I believe that using the Dating HUD is still very useful!” He huffed, yet smiled at Grillby regardless.

“...Sorry, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. So, it’s based on the SOUL, right?”

“Yes!”

Grillby blushed as he formulated the best way to articulate his thoughts. “...Isn’t that kind of...intimate? I mean, just baring your SOUL like that?”

“It’s a SOUL projection! PRO-JEC-TION!” Papyrus waved his hands wildly, a similar dark blush on his skull. “There will be no SOULs being bared here today! And no bears either! It’s just a simple thing shared between the two of us! Alone! Secretly!”

“...Wait, so no one else can see the HUDs?”

“Correct! They are only shared between monsters who are close enough to make the connection.”

Grillby sighed with relief. Papyrus was great, and Grillby could say with the utmost confidence that he really liked him, but SOUL-sharing was a level that he knew he wasn’t ready to tackle yet. His shitty romance books always depicted the event as something special, and a small part of him wanted his first time to be special too, maybe in a rose-covered bed or something. Despite all of those gushy feelings, exposing one’s SOUL in public was extremely frowned upon anyway.

But a projection that only the two of them could see? There wasn’t any harm in trying that out.

“...Okay, what do I do?”

Papyrus brightened. “It’s really easy! First, you turn towards your Datemate and close your eyes. You want to think about how they make you feel, envision all the instances that you two have interacted with one another. The idea is to fully focus your feelings on them, and through that process, you should be able to see their Date Aura in your mind.”

“... Their _what_ now?”

“Date Aura, Grillby, please keep up. I know this is new to you, but it's not rocket science. Anyway, once you have honed in on the Date Aura you want to capture that image in your Date-O-Sphere and catalog it. After that's successful--you'll know it worked because you'll feel a little fuzzy all over--you want to will your SOUL to manifest. BUT, in a way that only projects feelings and not your whole being; we're not trying to be perverts here.”

“...Right…”

“And so after all that's done, you want to open your eyes and look at your Datemate. Feel free to blow them a kiss so they know you're paying attention to them, especially if they are of the handsome, boney kind. You will need to envision a screen as you look at them; it doesn't really matter what type of screen because SOULs can only manifest in one particular way. And then, finally, my Dating HUD should show up for you. Make sense?”

No. Not at all. “...Uh, seems a little complicated, but I’ll give it a shot. So first I close my eyes and think of you?”

“Correct! Give it a try,” Papyrus said.

Grillby fought to keep his breath even as he followed Papyrus’s instructions and closed his eyes. Pushing away thoughts of frigid wind and confusing instructions, Grillby worked to focus his thoughts on Papyrus. He thought of the first time they met outside of the coffee shop in the store, where his initial attraction had first reared its ugly head. From there he let his thoughts stray to the last term, to the many classes they attended together side-by-side in the crowded lecture hall. He thought about Papyrus’s jittery bones, his laugh, and his hitched breaths when they kissed.

His smell, his taste, Grillby thought about all of these things. It wasn’t until he imagined Papyrus’s magic against his skin that he realized an odd bright light in front of him, mimicking Papyrus’s silhouette. That wasn’t right, weren’t his eyes still closed? Was this the ‘Date Aura’ Papyrus mentioned?

Making sure that his eyes were still closed, Grillby called out, “...Hey, Papyrus?”

Papyrus shushed him gently. “You won’t be able to do this correctly if you’re distracted!” He stage-whispered.

“...But I don’t know how to grab the Aura,” Grillby said.

“Use your Date-O-Sphere, like I said before.”

“... _How_?”

“Pretend like you’re physically grabbing it? That’s how the manual describes it.”

Grillby nodded and reached out with his hand. Even though his action was in real time and not inside of his head, somehow the silhouette was affected by it anyway. It burst into a shower of tiny sparkles, almost like stars, and the remnants slowly disappeared into the darkness as they fell. His body buzzed with an odd energy when the last bits were gone, which Grillby took to mean that the cataloging was successful. Now he just needed to summon his SOUL…ish. Focusing solely on the emotions that made up his being, Grillby willed his SOUL to appear, slowly opening his eyes to check his progress.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, perhaps a ghostly image of his SOUL or a bright light in front of him, but it certainly wasn’t the plain outline of his SOUL gently glowing through his jacket. He looked up at Papyrus, nearly missing the swivel of his skull to look in the other direction. “...Peeping tom,” he teased.

“ONLY A LITTLE BIT!” Papyrus fake-coughed. “A-anyway, remember to imagine a screen so the HUD will come up.”

Grillby gazed at Papyrus, thinking about the first type of screen that came to his mind, a phone screen. A sound not unlike static filled Grillby’s senses, and after a short moment, a transparent screen appeared in front of him around Papyrus’s figure. “...Holy shit!”

Papyrus clapped happily. “Isn’t it neat?!”

Staring open-mouthed at the sight in front of him, Grillby reached out to touch the apparition. His hand went right through it, and other than a slight flicker around the edges the image stayed steady. “...This is really trippy.”

“It does take a little getting used to. Here--take my hand. You can look at the HUD while I direct us to the park.”

“I can move and look at this?” Grillby asked, placing his hand in Papyrus’s. When he looked away the screen followed his range of motion, keeping itself at his eye line. He allowed Papyrus to lead him towards their destination and looked down to examine the mysterious Dating HUD.

The HUD had been populated with a ton of information, and in order to keep himself from getting overloaded, Grillby decided to check out each object individually. He started at the top of the screen, which displayed Papyrus’s name, a sun icon, and the day of the week. Directly underneath was a counter of some sorts, labeled **‘Exercise Streak'**. It was currently on 1, and Grillby wondered what the counter had been before it was reset. Probably an extremely high number, he concluded.

Before he could begin to feel guilty about that, Grillby checked out the next element to the right. It was a radar of some sort, much like the weather ones he was vaguely familiar with. He noticed after a few rotations of the beam that a small icon showed up at the edge of the circle. Upon further inspection, he realized that the icon was, in fact, Bud, the small dog that annoyed Papyrus. Was this seriously a radar just to track Bud’s position? He giggled silently.

Grillby tried to figure out what the rest of the graphs did, but they weren’t as discernible to him as the basic information and the **‘Annoying Dog Meter’** (The label that appeared shortly after he thought of it) was. There was some sort of heat map chart at the bottom right labeled **‘Crime’** , and there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how it worked. On the left, a line graph labeled ‘ **Population’** seemed to be steadily rising, and above that was a progress bar with no title that fluctuated wildly. Finally, at the bottom right, there was a...blob? Grillby would’ve ignored it without a second thought, but that was before it started _moving._

Before he could inquire on what the heck that thing was, Papyrus suddenly stopped and pressed his arm out protectively against Grillby’s chest. “Stop light,” Papyrus said, pointing at the crosswalk sign across the street. The two of them waited for the light to turn green, and then proceeded to cross the street into what Grillby suspected was the perimeter of the park.

“...Is this it?” He asked.

“Almost! The entrance is over there!” Papyrus pointed to a pathway intersecting their path.

The park, as it turned out, was a larger area than Grillby had first thought.

Tall, thin trees framed the edges of the park, branches bare from the changing seasons. As they got further in, the trees spread out along the grassy plains, revealing a long, thick strip of pavement. Even in the cold weather, there was a multitude of monsters milling about on the pavement, and in the stillness, Grillby could hear snippets of conversations and the tinkling of leash chains as owners walked their dogs. In the very center through the shrubbery there was a frozen body of water, and on the other side of it were more trees and greenery.

“...Wow, it's beautiful,” Grillby exhaled in awe.

“Isn't it? The park goes in a loop around the lake, and the view is breathtaking. You should see it when I come to run through: the water looks fantastic in the morning light.” Papyrus turned to look at Grillby. “Anyway, have you fully familiarized yourself with my Dating HUD yet?”

“...Almost. I have a few questions about some of these charts. Like, what is this one?”

Papyrus pressed closer to Grillby with a hand on his chin, looking at the chart. “That's the Crime chart, and these are the groups currently committing crimes. This one--” Papyrus pointed to the largest cluster-- “is for plants. Terrible ne’er-do-wells.”

Grillby cocked his head in confusion. “...What ‘crime’ are they committing?”

“Not noticing how amazing we are as a couple, of course!”

“... _Of course,_ ” Grillby smiled. Papyrus always knew exactly how to surprise him. He glanced back at the HUD. “...Your charts are a little cryptic at first glance, but I think they make a little sense when you look deeper. I can probably make a few guesses on this Population chart, but this blob…what is this?”

“Blob?” Papyrus scanned the screen carefully, nearly screaming when he found what Grillby was talking about. “OH MY GOD??? THE EGG HATCHED AND I MISSED IT!”

Grillby took a step back with his hands up. “...Egg? What's going on?”

Instead of answering, Papyrus took out the Dating Manual again. He flipped through it, stopping about halfway and passing it over to Grillby. Drawn on the page was a rudimentary Dating HUD, with simple squares and rectangles in place of actual charts and figures. In the place as the blob that occupied Papyrus’s hud was an egg-shaped object in with a **‘???** ’ above it. He read through the text beside it, learning more about the egg’s function overall and the circumstances around it. “...So, this blob is a helper, and it hatches from the egg?”

“Yes, it’s supposed to be a beautiful display of love and budding intimacy between a couple, with fireworks and stars and sparkles…”

Grillby placed a hand to his chin in thought. “...Is it possible that the egg might’ve hatched during our date yesterday?”

Papyrus shrugged. “Probably? I don’t think it would’ve hatched any other time.”

“...Fair enough. So how does it work? Oh, should I not call them ‘it’?”

“‘He’ is fine if you want. Even though we hatched the same egg, in order to be useful to both of us we have different instances of the same helper. The one you’re staring at is specific to me. He basically tells you through messages and gestures my status at any current time. Also, his health mimics my happiness.”

Grillby examined the helper on his screen. His large, round eyes were trained on Grillby’s face. His body seemed to sag slightly as if he were melting into the bottom of the screen, but Grillby couldn’t sense any distress from him. Small hearts floated out from the creature, disappearing after a few seconds. “...He seems...content?”   

“That’s because he is! And I am! I like being here with you!”

“...Oh my god, you’re so cute,” Grillby gushed, slightly embarrassed. “...So, what can you tell about me?”

“Oh, right, I haven’t pulled up your HUD yet!” Papyrus took a step back and extinguished his eye-lights. He took an unnecessary breath, inhaling as he placed his hands on the right side of his chest.  He exhaled after a quick moment and removed them. A faint outline of a SOUL sat where his hands had just been, and Grillby politely looked away.

When he figured enough time had passed Grillby flicked his gaze back, amazed to find Papyrus already looking over what he assumed was his own Dating HUD. Curious, Grillby sidled up close, peeking over Papyrus’s shoulder. From an initial look, his HUD looked similar to Papyrus’s: the stats at the top were mostly the same except their weather icons were different. Why were they different? Could it have been that his reflected more accurate weather conditions than Papyrus’s did?

He heard the soft clacking of bones as Papyrus shifted slightly beside him, moving his hands to his hips as he leaned forward to examine something on the graph. “Hmm…”

“...What’s up?” Grillby asked.

“Your blob is a little active, but I can’t tell what it’s doing. It’s kind of...vibrating? No, that’s not it. Maybe it’s…”

Papyrus suddenly gasped, and the screen shuddered in front of him. He looked on with shock as the charts on both screens began to dissolve, leaving behind a singular line graph. The words **‘** **Tension’** hovered over it ominously, and Grillby turned to Papyrus, confused. “...What’s going on?”

Papyrus reached out and quickly grabbed him, pulling Grillby into his chest with a wail. “Your egg, it’s shivering! You’re in distress!”

“...Distress? Oh, well it is kind of chilly out here, but--”

“THERE’S NO BUTTS! You’ve been taking such good care of me, but I have been slacking! The inhumanity! I’m becoming as worse as...as...SANS! NYOO HOO HOO!”

Grillby’s flames flared in alarm, and he quickly scrambled to try and soothe Papyrus. He placed an unsteady hand on Papyrus’s shoulder, squeezing the bone softly. “...Hey, don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I can survive in the cold until we get back, I’m pretty tough.”

He didn’t seem to have any effect, for Papyrus just shook his head and moved away. “I’m sorry Grillby, but I can not leave things as they are. I must right this wrong!” He stepped in front of Grillby and faced him. “I must reveal...my SECRET.”

As if reacting to Papyrus’s sudden declaration, the HUD flickered to a new view. This one was mostly blank except for a small hovering fireball in the center and Papyrus’s blob still in his corner. “...What do I do with this?” He asked, gesturing to the flame. The ball instantly responded to his movements, shooting off towards the edge of the screen in the same direction his hand had moved. He jerked his hand back in a panic, and the ball followed, settling back in the middle.

Glancing over at his little helper for guidance, Grillby saw a small text box that he missed before. “...’Move and inspect with Z’, is that this?” He moved his hand slower, watching the ball mimic the action. Okay, that made sense, but what did inspect mean? Did it mean to inspect Papyrus?

Grillby decided to start at the bottom, maneuvering the flame so that it hovered over Papyrus’s shoes. His intuition told him to pretend like he was pushing a button and so he did, jumping slightly when a small ding came in response.

Papyrus looked down at his shoes. “You have found...my running shoes! They were a gift from Undyne when we started working out together. There’s no secret to our friendship, only suplexes and movie nights!”

Okay, this was making a bit more sense. Now that he thought about it, it would be almost impossible to hide something in his shoes, right? He had to think a little more strategically about this. He looked Papyrus up and down, searching for places that he could hide something secret. After a moment of thought, he hovered over to Papyrus’s pants and pushed.

Papyrus’s face turned an impressive shade of orange as he blushed, covering his eyes with his hands. “GR-GRILLBY! We’re in public!”

Grillby laughed loudly, slapping his mouth to his face to try and contain himself. The whole thing was just so _absurd_ and hilarious. God, he must have won the universal lottery falling in love with Papyrus. He could never in his lifetime had guessed that he’d be standing in the park and getting scolded for trying to predict a secret in his boyfriend’s pants.

It took a few moments for both monsters to compose themselves, and Grillby wiped a stray tear from his eye before examining Papyrus again. He checked Papyrus’s shoes and pants so far, so what was next? Grillby was sure that Papyrus couldn’t have hidden anything in his sweatband, and he didn’t have his gloves to hide anything either. _The jacket, then?_ Grillby hovered over the track jacket and pushed.

“My jacket…?” Papyrus asked, pressing an uncertain hand against the material. “My jacket.” Suddenly, he began to grin. “My jacket, yes! You’ve found my secret, so I guess I have no choice but to reveal it!” Papyrus quickly unzipped his jacket in front of a startled Grillby, tossing it off with little decorum. A thick, long, rectangular material was wrapped over his t-shirt in a criss-cross pattern, resembling an odd sling. He peeled it from his bones carefully, and Grillby could see now that it was a scarf, mostly black with silver fringe on the ends. “I had a feeling that you would be cold, so I bought you this on my way home earlier.”

“...Oh, you didn’t have to,” Grillby protested but stepped forward to take the offered fabric anyway. He rubbed it between his fingers gently, finding the material to be soft, but sturdy. “...Thank you,” He blushed.

“Shall I help you put it on?”

Grillby nodded, and Papyrus lifted the scarf from Grillby’s hands. He pressed the fringed ends of the scarf together and draped the folded fabric over Grillby’s shoulders. After feeding the coupled ends through the hole on the other side, Papyrus adjusted the scarf so that the rest of the warm material pressed flush against him underneath his jacket. “There you go, all done! Is it cozy?”

“...You have no idea.” Grillby had to fight the urge to burrow his face down, so instead, he just wrapped his arms around Papyrus and hugged him tightly. He could feel the warmth beginning to return to his body as his flames stuck close to his center, and he sighed blissfully. He heard a soft sound in the distance and looked up just in time to see a new meter appear.  **‘** **Date Power’** briefly appeared over it before disappearing in a shower of sparks.  

Teeth pressed to the side of his cheek lightly and fingers rubbed his sides. “Would you like to see the rest of the park?” Papyrus asked.

“...Yeah, let’s do it.”

Arm-in-arm, the two of them began to wander.

They started with the popular walking path, which was a three-mile trail that looped around the entire park. They kept to the left half of the trail for walking and pointed out things to each other as they went: foliage, other monsters, dogs, whatever caught their fancy.

About halfway through they passed by a shack full of rental gear for skates, life vests, and ice picks. According to Papyrus, in the summer the shack was used for renting out kayaks, but in the winter the large lake in the middle of the park froze deep enough for people to ice skate. Grillby thought it was a clever business strategy, but despite that, he had no desire to go anyway near that lake. He kept his eyes lowered to the ground and nearly pulled Papyrus past the shop, eager to keep out of the worker’s sight.

As they continued to enjoy the park, Grillby learned a lot about his Dating HUD from being in such close proximity to Papyrus. For one thing, his graphs were labeled in a way that made sense and seemed to cater specifically to detecting and culling his anxiety. The Annoying Dog Meter on Papyrus’s HUD was just a regular dog meter on his, and the Population graph, Papyrus’s chart for finding people to talk to, had been replaced with a Comfort Levels graph. It tracked Grillby’s body temperature and flame levels over the entirety of the date and could point out exactly where his temperature got low enough to inadvertently trigger Tension Mode.

Despite learning so much about himself, there was one graph that he just could not figure out on Papyrus’s HUD: the elusive bar with the recently labeled ‘Reel It In!’ on it. Ever since the beginning of the date, the bar had fluctuated back and forth in no obvious pattern, and the name gave him no hints as to what it could be. Was it just busted?

The strange bar remained a mystery until Papyrus had taken Grillby to one of his favorite spots in the entire park. Multiple exercise stations had been set up in the grass along the walking path with instructions for various exercises like pushups and balancing. Papyrus had kept close to Grillby as they went through the stations, giving him a demonstration and generally showing off his fitness as much as he could. Grillby found it endearing, but he noticed rather quickly that he was a little out of shape for such a course. Regardless of that, he tried his best, and Papyrus praised him for it, much to Grillby’s embarrassment.

When they went to the pull-up portion of the course much of the same had happened. Grillby did a few reps of the exercise and Papyrus praised him as usual, but afterward, Grillby noticed that the Reel It In bar had stopped fluctuating, settling at around seventy-five percent full. Grillby gasped and pointed out the change to Papyrus, but merely received a shrug in response; not even he knew what the bar was for.

Eventually, the sky began to darken as the sun set, and the two decided to head home. The charts on both of their HUDs had dulled down to a murmur, and the Dating Bar had filled to its maximum, displaying a text box that said: _Date Complete_! Their helpers each grew slightly bigger with the announcement; Grillby’s helper on Papyrus’s HUD obtained a pair of arms, and Papyrus’s helper: a pair of legs.

When they got back to the house, Grillby darted for the couch, collapsing on it with a loud sigh of relief. Papyrus rolled his eye-lights with a smile, walking away and returning a moment later without his jacket. He sat down beside Grillby’s head and began to smooth out his flames. “Did you have fun?” He asked.

“...It was really nice, we’ll have to bring Fuku there when I come back.”

Papyrus’s hand stilled. “Fuku is coming?!”

“...Yeah, didn’t I…” Grillby paused and rubbed his chin. “..Oh, I’m not sure if I mentioned it. Fuku is coming back with me for a few days after I return from home. She wanted to visit the campus and such. She’s a brat, but she knows how to suck up to strangers so she’ll probably be on her best behavior.”

“I get to meet Grillby’s sister, oh my gosh. Obviously, the Great Papyrus is wonderful at being a great host, but I don’t know if I’m emotionally ready for this…”

Grillby chuckled, patting Papyrus’s leg softly. He was really looking forward to seeing how the two of them interacted, as long as Fuku didn’t do anything completely scandalous. He had no doubt in his mind that it would be an exciting and fun-filled end to his winter break...

He just had to get through Gyftmas first.


	22. Nightmare Fuel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's just one of those nights; luckily Grillby gets help from a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: nightmares, panic attacks, healthy coping methods?, mention of nausea/v*mit

_ Grillby jerked to consciousness, not sure at what point he had fallen asleep. The first thing he noticed was how stifling the atmosphere was. It was as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room all at once, and it left him gasping for air. It was dark, and for some reason, he couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t move, could barely feel anything aside from his burning need to breathe and a massive sense of fear deep in his SOUL. Or was it dread? _

_ Both maybe? _

_ He opened his eyes, finding himself at the head of a familiar table at home. Scattered papers were strewn across the flower-printed tablecloth haphazardly as if they had been tossed with little care. Each piece was on fire, the corners curling up into a singed mess of flames and soot. A sudden need to see the contents came over Grillby, and he squinted to see the closest piece of stationery.  _

_ He blinked, and when his eyes opened again he found himself on Papyrus’s couch. Large, fiery figures stood in front of him, one cyan and the other a similar shade as Grillby himself. Their faces were blank but he felt their stare bore right into him, tearing him apart bit by bit. His fingers dug into the seat cushions as he pushed farther back into the couch. Frenzied flames ripped holes in the upholstery as the figures loomed closer, and a scream pierced the otherwise strangely silent room. Amidst the chaos, he recognized the voice to be his own-- _

Grillby sat up in bed, flames whirling violently around him.  He took a shuddering deep breath in, and while his flames crackled in relief from the action, his magic didn’t settle. He was overwhelmed, ungrounded, like he could vomit at any moment, if his species could get sick. 

A soft groan came from beside him and he turned his head, instantly hissing in pain as the immense feeling overtook his body. He needed to get up, and  _ now.  _

Pushing the covers to the side, Grillby slipped out of bed. He grabbed his phone off the bedside table before clutching at his CORE, taking small sobbing breaths as he lumbered towards the door. Was he having an anxiety attack?

Papyrus’s sleepy voice came from the bed. “Mmm, Grillby, whatssup?” 

Grillby paused, fingertips inches away from the doorknob.  _ Shit. Say something. Anything. Just. Say. Something. And. Leave.  _ “[...I, uh]--” Wrong language. He cleared his throat and tried again-- “ _ needtogetsomewater _ .”  _ Why. Papyrus isn't going to believe that-- _

“Ahh, alright.” 

Grillby turned around in disbelief. That worked? He wanted to mull on it further, but unease overpowered his thoughts, pushing him to leave the room. 

His flames snapped loudly in the dark as he paced back and forth in the hallway, and dark, thick smoke billowed from his open mouth. He wrung his hands together in front of him: a bad habit to rely on, but it was the best he had right now to keep himself here. Pieces of his nightmare floated back to him in small snippets: scattered report cards, fire, his parents. He had enough experience with this to know he had to find something or someone else to focus on. But who could he bother at…

Grillby stopped to check his phone. It was difficult to read the screen through his jittery hands, but he could just make out the fuzzy three in the middle of his screen.

Shit. Fuck fuck fuck, why did this have to happen while he was with Papyrus. He needed...he needed to…

He needed to remember how to handle this, really. The first step was to find a place to sit, preferably a nice and cramped area, but anywhere worked. Grillby half-ran to the living room, surveying the space with a hurried glance. The bookshelf was too full, the couch--

_ Grillby’s SOUL throbbed painfully. Quick, phantom images of large flame beings flitted through his mind.  _

\--the couch was not an option.

Grillby drummed his fingers purposefully on the wall beside him. Think think think, where else could he go? He scanned the room again and caught an odd perforation in the wall behind the television. Was that… He crept over the carpet on his toes, mouth open in shock as he finally recognized what he was looking at. A bonafide fireplace! They had a fireplace this entire time, and they weren't using it? 

There was something in the back of his head, a lingering thought that wondered if there was a reason why the fireplace wasn't being utilized, but Grillby was already pulling the television stand out of the way to expose the precious spot. It wasn't like he was worried about getting covered in leftover soot or dust, and he couldn't even begin to focus on any other issues that could crop up. 

The stand was as heavy as it looked, and after a few desperate attempts, Grillby managed to free up a small way to access the fireplace. If he were a regular monster it would've been near impossible to fit, but due to his already frayed nerves it was easy enough for Grillby to slacken his form into a fire-like state, and then he propelled himself into the dark space. 

It was cramped, too tight for Grillby to revert all the way back, so he settled for existing as an odd meld of flames and limbs. Even like this, Grillby could see the havoc the lingering panic attack was doing to his body. His flames were jumbled and uncoordinated, licking the edges of the brick fireplace with irritated snaps and hisses. The smoke that came with his attacks was constant and billowed out in small, heavy clouds with every exhale. Hopefully, the alarm wouldn’t go off.

He fished his semi-solid hands through his pajama pants and pulled out his phone. Time to attempt the next step in his list: distract himself from his thoughts by talking to someone. 

Papyrus had been instantly eliminated from his consideration. He would ask too many questions to try and figure out how to help, and while Grillby appreciated the sentiment, the last thing he wanted to do was talk about it in-depth. Occasionally he could turn to Fuku for assistance, but these nightmares usually happened at school, and so far he only found one person equipped to help him there. He punched the number into his phone from memory, hoping that they were still awake. 

After a few rings, the call connected.  _ “Hello??” _

“[Heats],” Grillby breathed in Firespeak. Thank goodness he answered. “[How are you, bud?]”

_ “[‘Bud’? Are you alright, man? You never call me this late, and you sound kind of…muffled?]” _

Grillby went to respond, but his flames took over, popping loudly and drowning out whatever he was going to say. As a result, his words became a garbled, unintelligible mess, conveying his stressed state more than words alone could have done. He gripped the phone tight in his hands, hearing the quick sound of realization over the speaker.

_ “[Oh! One of those nights, huh? Do you need someone to talk to?]” _

Grillby nodded, sighing loudly when he remembered that Heats couldn’t see it. “[Please.]”

_ “[Alright, let’s do this, let’s engage in some cool conversation!]” _ The line went silent for a second, and Grillby was almost afraid that Heats had hung up, but then he spoke again.  _ “[Sorry! I was trying to think about what to talk about. I’ll speak more freely so you can focus on my voice. Uhhhh, let’s see, let’s see. Things to talk about, things to talk about with my cool, best bro Grillby….Oh! How’s home--]” _

“[Please--]” Grillby cut himself off with a mess of crackles, nearly losing the phone in his agitated flames. 

_ “[Sorry, sorry! Bad subject, I got it! Let me think, what else can I talk about...well, do you want to hear about how my break has been so far?]” _

“[Okay.]”

Heats began to recount his last couple of days, starting with him leaving the dorms. Like every school break, his mother drove up to campus to pick him up, which was only about a half hour drive from his house. He had a nice home-cooked dinner when he got home (some sort of kindling-type of hodgepodge that Heats often spoke highly of) before hunkering down in his room (aka, the basement) to play some video games. Apparently, he had found a super old copy of a game he thought he had lost forever, and since he had very fond memories of it as a child, he decided to try it out. 

_ “[Most of it was nostalgia, though,]” _ Heats had commented with a wistful sigh.  _ “[The game itself was awful, and I could only last a few hours before I had to retire it.]” _

Grillby chuckled softly, feeling the ebbing aches of anxiety start to lessen its hold over his SOUL. At first, he could only really bring himself to focus on Heat’s voice, using it purely as a distraction to his more turbulent thoughts, but as the conversation went on he found it easier to engage in the conversation with periodic hums and sounds to show he was listening. 

About an hour had passed and the two were still in deep conversation, currently on the topic of Heats' mother. According to him, every time he went home she bombarded him with clothing to try on that she created, hoping to finally understand what type of look he desired. Unfortunately, it seemed like she still hasn't found it yet. 

_ “[Like, it’s great and all, and I really appreciate Ma for taking time out of her busy season to stitch stuff up for me but--]” _ Heats yawned loudly into his phone, causing static to flit out of the speakers.  _ “[She just doesn’t understand my aesthetic, you know?]” _

“[You could just like, I don’t know, tell her, especially since she makes all your clothing. Also, it’s really late, you should go to sleep.]”

_ “[Are you sure, man? I don’t want to leave you hanging.]” _

Grillby smiled at the concern laced in Heats’s tone; despite his rough edges, Heats was a good friend. “[I’m feeling much better, I promise.]”

“[Alright, then. Have a good sleep, Grillby.]”

“[Thanks, and Heats? You’re the best.]”

“[And you better remember it too, bro!]” Heats hung up, and Grillby pulled the phone away from his face. 

He sighed, feeling his magic swell to accommodate the action. It was nice, being able to actually breathe for once, if he could call the way his flames thrived off of oxygen as breathing. In any case, he successfully survived another anxiety attack, thanks to the power of friendship and small spaces! 

Grillby stifled a yawn as he checked the time: 4:15 am, geez. 

Maybe it was time for him to sleep too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I knew that I wanted to do a chapter focusing on some of the effects of what we've seen of Grillby's relationship with his parents, but I wasnt entirely sure how to go about resolving it. 
> 
> The obvious choice would be to have Papyrus console him, but I felt like Grillby wouldn't actually want that, so I kind of thought about my own coping methods for anxiety attacks. Mine dont happen too often and are largely phobia based (which I suppose has a foot in anxious feelings), but it seemed like a good framework for his.
> 
> As for contacting Heats as opposed to anyone else? I really like their friendship in this and I was missing the small flaming dude in all the cute romance fluff ahahaha


	23. Out of the Fireplace and into the Fray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus confronts Grillby on his absence. and the two come to terms with the approaching holiday and what that means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Long time no see! I could say a lot of things, apologize maybe, but for now let's not focus on that and instead, let's focus on how this is the YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LATTE! This adorable little fic can probably walk now, isn't that awesome? Thank you so much for all of your support over the last year, and I hope that I can continue to bring you all wonderful content in the very near future!

Even though his body cried out for the sweet embrace of sleep, Grillby’s mind was still wide awake. After he dragged himself out of the fireplace--which he discovered had been sealed shut about halfway up the length of the chimney--he decided to hang out in the living room instead of returning to the bed. No need to wake Papyrus up if it wasn't necessary. 

He made himself comfortable on the couch with his phone and decided to pick up a romance novel that’s been on his ‘to-read’ list for quite a while. This one was slightly more conventional than the other books he picked up from online rec lists, and if he recalled correctly, it was suggested to him by a clerk at the bookstore. According to the summary, the story was about a middle-aged canine monster that finds herself down on her luck and out of a job. She has a week to find enough G in order to keep the apartment from evicting her, and while lamenting in the local dog park, runs into her love interest. 

At first, Grillby wasn’t sure if he wanted to go forward with reading it. It had an overwhelming ‘Sugar Daddy’ premise that didn’t quite click with what he usually read, but at four in the morning, he was willing to try anything out if it meant time would pass faster. He flicked to the first page and began to read.

It was five o’clock when Papyrus emerged from the bedroom, punctuating his arrival with a loud gasp. Grillby, who had just gotten to the third--or fourth? The chapters weren’t numbered, and instead named with silly canine puns--chapter, pressed a symbol on his phone screen to bookmark the page as the sound of trousled bones loomed closer. By the time Papyrus actually appeared in the living room the sound was deafening, only stopping once he caught sight of Grillby sprawled on the couch with his phone. His brows were furrowed and eye-lights wild, and for a moment Grillby forgot what could have possibly made him so worried until he remembered what transpired only a few hours prior.“GRILLBY!” 

“...Morning, Papy,” Grillby waved. He sat up and patted the cushion beside him. “How did you sleep?”

Papyrus eyed the cushion warily before crossing his arms where he stood. Despite standing mostly still, the rapid  _ clack clack clack  _ of his phalanges tapping his forearm revealed how anxious he was underneath. “I slept pretty well, and woke up nice and refreshed, thank you very much. That is until I recalled my cute, handsome, adorable fire boyfriend--which is you, by the way--mentioning getting water?? YOU CAN’T DRINK WATER???”

Grillby chuckled awkwardly. “...Ah, I suppose I might’ve said something like that, huh? Sorry, I was panicking a little.”

“Panicking?” Papyrus quickly dropped his tough guy act and scampered into the seat beside Grillby. He frantically patted down Grillby’s arms and face in a way that reminded Grillby of a worrying parent, and while it was nice knowing that Papyrus cared, all of this attention was starting to make him nervous. “What happened? Are you okay? Is there any way I can help?”

“...Everything’s fine.” Grillby reached out and clasped Papyrus’s jittery hands. “...Sometimes, I uh…” How much could he tell Papyrus without getting into everything? He directed his gaze downwards at their joined hands, finding it easier to look there than into Papyrus’s curious eye-lights. “...I get bad nightmares.”

Grillby scrunched his eyes closed, bracing himself for the onslaught of probing questions and queries. To his surprise, Papyrus laughed. “Oh, is that all?”

“...Uh...yes?” 

Papyrus gently extracted himself and wrapped his arms around Grillby, pulling him into his chest. “You should have told me! The Great Papyrus is amazing at fighting off nightmares! I wouldn’t have hesitated to unleash my rippling muscles against your mental demons if you had just asked!”

“...I didn’t want to bother you while you were sleeping,” Grillby said, settling for that instead of asking about his ‘rippling muscles’, or lack thereof. 

“It’s no bother at all! I’m used to being up at all hours of the night and not sleeping, so waking me up is child's play! It’s like making an espresso, surprisingly easy!”

“...Is that healthy?” Grillby asked. 

“Making espresso?”

“...No, the not sleeping thing.”

“UH, ANYWAY,” Papyrus gestured down to Grillby’s lap, quickly changing the subject. “What were you doing on your phone?”

“...Huh? Oh, I was reading. It’s called ‘Every shade is Grey’. It’s not bad so far, just getting through the introduction and such. I figured since I was awake I could do something productive.”

“That’s good, staying productive instead of slacking off is a good trait to have!” He hummed, nodding decisively. “Oh, I meant to ask, what time is your train home today?”

“...Let me check.” Grillby pulled up his email, leaning more into Papyrus's hold as he searched for his itinerary. “It’s at seven thirty.”

“Okay, that gives me time to do my morning workout before I need to drive you over to the station. Is that satisfactory?”

“...Yep, go ahead.”

Papyrus nuzzled the top of Grillby's flames affectionately before heading back to the bedroom, leaving Grillby to his thoughts.

Papyrus...was acting weird. Or at least weirder than usual. Grillby was used to doing a bit of legwork when it came to following Papyrus's complicated thought process, but today was a whole different level of confusing, especially after asking about Papyrus’s sleeping habits. He hadn’t noticed anything weird since he had been there, but Papyrus did comment here and there about sleeping abnormally. Well, he wouldn’t pry; Papyrus had been so understanding with his nightmares, so Grillby figured he could overlook Papyrus’s own plight. 

Grillby waited until Papyrus left before going to get dressed. He quickly changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and topped it with Fuku’s sweater. While he wasn’t entirely sure who was picking him up at the train station (hopefully neither of his parents so he could take the bus and avoid them), he knew at some point he’d run into his sister. Even if she decided to play cold and pretend his fashion sense was awful, he always caught the small glimmer of pride in her eye when he wore it.  

When he was done, he shut his suitcase and dragged it to the hallway, placing it in a convenient spot near the door so it would be easy to pick up when they left for the station.

...Now that Grillby thought about it, he had never seen Papyrus’s car. What would he even drive? An SUV? A Compact Car?

_ A minivan, perhaps?  _ His thoughts supplied. He pondered this, thinking over to how motherly Papyrus was when he wished Undyne and Alphys off on their trip. A minivan probably got good mileage, he guessed, and he bet it was probably fantastic for taking his roommates to wherever they needed to go. Oh my gosh, and Papyrus could wear cute dresses or his adorable old-fashion sweaters to complete the image.

...Man, now he really wanted it to be a Minivan. 

After Papyrus returned from his run, Grillby could barely keep still as he waited for Papyrus to change, eager to see if his predictions were true. 

Papyrus eyed him curiously as he shrugged on his jacket in front of the coat closet. “You’re very active. Are you that excited to go home?”

Grillby caught the thinly-veiled disappointment in Papyrus’s voice, instantly wrapping a hand around Papyrus’s wrist and rubbing it gently. “...If anything, I’d rather stay here. To be honest, I’m kind of curious to see the car you drive. I have a few theories on what it might be.”

“A car enthusiast?” Papyrus asked with twinkling eye-lights. 

“...Not really. More like a...you enthusiast.” 

“Gr-Grillby!” Papyrus turned away with bright cheekbones. He teased his wrist out of Grillby’s hold and reached into the closet to grab Grillby’s coat. He passed it over, and Grillby slipped into it easily.

“...Thank you.” 

Papyrus nodded. “Are you ready to go?”

“...Uh…” Grillby glanced behind him at the living room, squinting his eyes to see if he left anything of note. The couch looked clear from where he stood, and he was sure he didn’t leave anything in the fireplace. He patted himself down, finding his phone in one pocket and his various carabiners (one of which, he hoped, held his keys) in the other. “...Oh, wait there’s one more thing.” Grillby jogged into Papyrus room, instantly spotting the long, knitted scarf folded neatly on Papyrus’s desk. He grabbed it and ran back out, unfolding it and putting it on as he went. “...There, all ready.” 

Tutting playfully, Papyrus reached out and grabbed both ends of the scarf. He tugged rather lightly, but it threw Grillby off-guard, causing him to stumble forward into Papyrus’s arms. Chuckling, Papyrus nuzzled his teeth affectionately against Grillby’s mouth. “I have you falling for me all over again, don’t I?” 

Grillby’s flames rolled in amusement as he looped his arms around Papyrus’s neck. “...You’re so cheesy.”

“I’d say I’m more milky, based on the amount I drink--”

Grillby kissed Papyrus quickly to cut him off. He wasn’t entirely sure where Papyrus was going with his statement, but clearly, it couldn’t have been more important than kissing him. He heard a confused muffle as Papyrus stiffened underneath his touch, but a moment later Papyrus relaxed into the kiss. They parted for a second before going back for a second, third, and fourth follow-up peck, swiftly dissolving into giggles as they raced to see who can kiss the other more. Grillby found himself overrun with Papyrus’s teeth colliding with the flames on his face, attacking his mouth, his cheeks, everywhere. Every step backward to escape Papyrus’s onslaught was met with another step forward, and soon Grillby found himself flush with the wall, Papyrus’s arms on either side leaving him no room to escape. With a few taps to Papyrus’s back, he reluctantly accepted defeat.

“...You win, you win. I can’t fight back against this,” He breathed. 

Papyrus let out a triumphant shout and pumped his fist into the air. “Nyeh hehe, I am the best kisser!”

“...For now.”

“Yes, there is still a whole war to be won, after all! A war of kisses! I eagerly look forward to the results!”

“...I’ll have to work on my strategy while I’m at home for the next skirmish.”

“Right, next time…” Papyrus sighed heavily. He touched his forehead to Grillby’s, keeping his gaze down as his fingers fiddled with Grillby’s scarf ends. “I’m going to miss you.”

“...Me too,” Grillby said it almost automatically, and he urged himself to elaborate further. “...I mean, you know how I feel about leaving, but...” Grillby tapered off, giving a half-hearted shrug. “Familial obligations, I guess.”

“Mm…”

Grillby moved his hands down to Papyrus’s back. He rubbed small, soothing circles over his spine and the joints where his ribs connected. He wasn’t used to being the one comforting others, but for Papyrus he was ready to become an expert. “...We can text each other every day we’re not together, then before you know it, I’ll be back in your arms.”

Papyrus sniffed softly before pulling away to meet Grillby’s eyes. His expression, while not entirely back to his normal peppy self, was better. His eye-lights held a glimmer of hope in them and he was smiling slightly.  “You’re right, it’ll go by fast. We can do it! You’ll survive your family, and then I can see you, and meet Fuku!”

“...That’s the spirit. Then, after you survive Fuku--” Grillby lowered his voice and gently stroked the inside of Papyrus’s ribs through his shirt-- “Maybe you can give me more anatomy lessons?”

Papyrus breathed out sharply, opening and closing his mouth a few times before settling for a quick nod. His body twitched against Grillby’s in response, and it was hard to miss the orange flush on his cheekbones. Grillby grinned to himself, mentally patting himself on the back. 

“...Alright, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I had to split up what I thought was one chapter into two, I had to think up a new title for this on the spot. I'm actually really impressed by how great it works??? I'm not sure if I mentioned this Headcanon to you guys (or maybe alluded to it in the previous chapter), but Fireplaces are very important in fire elemental culture. They're used for growing elementals as a crib, bed, and safety spot, so in general, the spaces signify warmth and safety to an elemental. 
> 
> In the case of this chapter, the fireplace not only signifies the physical fireplace in the room, but also the mental fireplace of being with Papyrus, and it's just like, really cute oh my god ;;;;;

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> feel free to bother me at my NSFW tumblr: [Sesurescue](http://Sesurescue.tumblr.com)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Coffee Liquor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141626) by [MeGaLoTrash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeGaLoTrash/pseuds/MeGaLoTrash)
  * [Melting In His Hands](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980556) by [skerb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skerb/pseuds/skerb)




End file.
